Bloodsweet
by NarutoAngel
Summary: “I’ve never tasted chocolate before. It’s how I imagined it to be, sweet with a hint of bitterness. Just like the taste of blood,” she told the solemn boy with a smile. AU Currently being revised.
1. Chapter 1

**EDITED12/3/09: Special thanks to Cella N for beta-ing!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own D. Gray-man. I could never have created something as cool as that.**

**A/N: Taking a break. This is a crack pairing and just something to update. Review if you would like me to continue.**

Miranda Lotto looked up at the building, intimidated by its height and size. The brochure hadn't said much in the description, just the conditions of the room and the size of it. Nevertheless, she squared her shoulders and marched into the extravagant building.

Immediately, she was blinded by the sharp lights of the lobby. She whimpered and rubbed her eyes with a sleeve.

Like the building, everything was so well kept and clean. Expensive and furnished rugs lined the floors, gold chandeliers hung from the walls. Tiptoeing across the hall, Miranda went to the lobby reception and to the hostess there.

"Welcome to the Order Apartments. May I help you?" the lady asked politely.

"Ah yes! I-I-I'm here for Room 2B," Miranda said, digging through her bag for the information the school had sent her. She fussed over it, trying every pocket furiously with growing agitation when she couldn't find it. The woman watched with strained patience that quickly drew to barely contained annoyance when the minutes turned to over an hour.

"Perhaps if you just give me your name, I can probably find your room in the records," the lady suggested, managing to keep a smile under the circumstances.

"Y-yes. It's Miranda Lotto," Miranda said, sounding very embarrassed. The beginning of tears began to form underneath her dark-rimmed eyes.

The receptionist quickly typed in the name. "Miranda Lotto? Yes, your name is in the database. Just write your name here." She pushed a clipboard with a paper already filled with some signatures.

Miranda did, though her hand was shaking a bit so her signature came out a bit scratchy. She pushed it back.

"Here is your room key. Your room is the one with the insignia 2S, with a capital S. If you require any assistance with your luggage…?"

"No, it's alright!" she assured, taking the card and hefting her bags up. "I can handle it."

"If you insist-ah!" The receptionist stared wide-eyed as the average height woman with the very scray expression lifted a large Old Ben clock onto her back, and carried it to the stairs, seeing how the elevator wouldn't be tall enough.

Of course, it would be her bad luck since she would have to carry a heavy clock, multiple of bags, and herself up nearly five flights of stairs.

When Miranda finally reached the top, she had already begun to pant with harsh exertion, quietly moaning from the pain in her back. She carefully set it down gently on the floor, followed by her bags, and stretched the cricks of her back. Sighing, Miranda set off to search for her room.

"Um, let's see. The woman had said it was 2s, right?" She checked the insignia on each door, reading the numbers softly to herself. Then came a dilenma. "Was it 2s or 2S?"

The rooms had been set on two sides in a parallel fashion, one lower case and the other upper case that faced each other. Room 2S and 2s were near the ends of the hall before it split two of the last rooms, 1s and 1S.

"Um, so which one is it?" she wondered, looking anxiously at both doors. "If I recall, she said it was the lowercase s. Or was it with the capital S? Oh, which one is it!" She rushed from one to the other, looking furiously at them both.

"M-maybe I should try them both. That's good. Then I should do it! Right, just slide it here…" Miranda reached forward, her hand shaking as she slid the card into the keyhole.

The door slid open at the faintest push, nearly making her fall forward as it gave way. Miranda managed not to fall, nearly going into the splits and managing to hold herself on the wall. She quickly straightened up and looked up.

"Is this… my room?" she wondered out loud, looking around the vast space.

Despite what the brochure said, this room was purely Spartan, with just a bed, a dresser for undergarments and, on the opposite wall, a closet for clothes. The curtains that hung above the large windows were drawn shut together, throwing the room in shadow.

Miranda walked a little further into the room, continuing to look around. She was so engrossed that she hadn't heard the rushing water of the shower, nor did she hear it stop.

Behind her, the door to the bathroom opened.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own D. Gray-man. I could never have created something as cool as that. **

**A/N: Taking a break. This is a crack pairing and just something to update. Review if you would like me to continue.**

Sixteen year old Lenalee Lee did not know what to make of the terrified woman cowering behind a large grandfather clock in the middle of the hallway. She saw she was right across from that room, 2s. Briefly hoping the woman had not entered that room, Lenalee greeted her.

"Good afternoon. You must be Miss Miranda Lotto, correct?" She smiled as the woman took notice of her, a bit unnerved by the horrified expression on her face. "My name is Lenalee Lee and I am to be your guide to our school. Is…everything all right?"

Everything? No, of course it was not! Not when she…! Not when she so rudely…!

Miranda cowered as she recollected what had happened exactly five minutes ago…

_The door opened, steam from the recent bath rising into the air, warming the atmosphere. Miranda turned with a surprise, momentarily distracted from observing the room._

"_Who the hell are you?"  
_

_To be truthful, Miranda Lotto has never spoken with a man directly, only through secretaries or machines. Too scared and frightened to have a face to face conversation, she had always preferred this way. So imagine her reaction at this moment, not only facing a man a few years younger than her, but facing a nude man, with a towel wrapped low on tanned hips, looking incredibly annoyed with her._

_Long, dark hair fell down his back, framing a handsome face with darker eyes that seemed to sear through her. Remarkably taller than her by at least a foot, he made her feel small and insignificant, something not even worth to be the dirt under his feet. _

"_Well?" he demanded, leaning against the frame of the door._

_The movement drew her eyes to the defined muscles of his chest, noticing the strange exotic tattoo above his left breast. Suddenly realizing her actions, she gasped and gave a yelp._

"_I'M SO SORRY!! I'M SO SORRY!!" she screamed at him, furiously doing the dogeza to him. "I SHALL BE GOING NOW!! SO SORRY!" Then she ran away. _

I am such a fool, Miranda moaned to herself. I don't deserve to be here. But I cant continue to be rude. Forcing a smile that looked pass the line of creepy, she replied, "Yes! Everything's fine! I'm Miranda Lotto. Yes." She gave a hysterical laugh.

Lenalee looked a bit surprised at her hysterics and sigh. Maybe she had gone inside after all. she could only hope that he hadn't done much harm to Miranda.

Then again, this _was_ Kanda they were talking about…

"First, let's get some help for you. That clock looks heavy," the young teenage girl suggested.

Miranda nodded enthusiastically. "If, if it's not too much trouble…"

Lenalee took the card key from the still shaking woman and led her inside the right room. In comparison to 2s, 2S had the charming qualities perfect to make a person feel right at home. It was large, but not enough to intimidate and the décor was plan and simple, just how Miranda preferred it. There was even a small space set aside, large enough for her clock to be set in. she dimly wondered if she had made any mention to the headmaster of bringing it.

"First, allow me to call room service. The number is #231, if you ever need it," Lenalee informed her, picking up and dialing the phone as she talked.

Miranda watched the young girl as she made the call, idling putting down her bags that she still carried. She was loathed to leave her beloved clock outside where everyone could see it but it was rude to stay in the hallway while Lenalee was so graciously helping her.

Her eyes tear up as this was the first time anyone has been this kind to the Bad Luck Miranda, as she was so called back home. Perhaps, she hoped, the two could become friends.

"I've called to see if they can sent someone to help your clock inside," Lenalee said as she hung up the phone. "They'll be here in a few moments. In the meantime, shall I explain to you how the system works?"

"System?" Miranda repeated, confused at the choice of words.

The girl smiled. "On how the rooms are modified and exactly what the hierarchy is structured by."

"Oh! Yes, please. They didn't really said much in the brochure," Miranda said, lifting the wrinkled pamphlet she continued to hold in her hand.

"Shall we have a seat?"

They sat together at the supplied table and twin chairs. The older woman admired the graceful manner Lenalee had, ashamed at her own lanky it. It felt like a scene from her fairy tales, where the kind princess treated the pauper to a meeting.

"Well," she began, "it's not really hard to get, once you hear the gist of it. As you know, the school is split into two sections, the high school and the college. There's the regular years freshman, sophomore, juniors, and seniors. They apply to both. The principal has decided to pair a high school student with a college student. Which explains the rooms. The capital S means a college student and lowercase s means a high school student. The two are paired by the same number."

"So I'm paired with…." Miranda trailed off as she pointed behind her, feeling faint.

"Yes. You are paired with the student in 2s," Lenalee confirmed smile. She stopped at the sight of the horrified expression on Miranda's face. "I take it you've met Yu Kanda?"

"Yes," she squeaked, her face looking like the star of a horror film. "I accidentally walked in on him while he was showering I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! I didn't know! I was just looking for my room!"

"Oh, right," Lenalee smiled nervously for the woman, in her hysteria had stood up and began to shout in her face all the apologizes in the world. "Sorry about that. The receptionist should have mentioned which room you were in. and the lock to 2s had been broken since yesterday so it's not you're fault. It's mainly Kanda. I told him to put a sign up but I guess he didn't listen."

Miranda stopped, gazing at Lenalee with eyes full of pouring tears and wet cheeks. "Really? Then, he isn't mad at me?" she asked hopefully.

Not wanting to upset her but also not wanting to give her the wrong idea of her friend, Lenalee answered as carefully as she could. "He will be angry, but mostly at himself. But don't worry. If he acts cold to you, just remember that's how he treats everyone else."

"Oh, okay," Miranda said, mildly relieved.

"There's a map of the school inside the brochure, but if you need me to give you a tout…?"

"No. It's quite alright," Miranda smiled. "I memorized it on the plane trip over here."

"Oh that's right! You're from Germany, correct Miranda?" At her nod, Lenalee added, "I hope you can share stories with me."

"Of course. I would be delighted to," Miranda beamed. "Maybe… we could be friends?"

"I would be happy to."

**---**

Later found Miranda standing in front of room 2s. After her clock had been safely brought inside, she had spent some time with Lenalee, sharing stories of the respective homelands. Lenalee, Miranda had learned, was from China. She also had an older brother named Komui, who was head of the science department at the school.

As the time grew late, Lenalee had mentioned of a dinner for all the students held in the kitchen hall downstairs. It was during this time that the paired students get more acquainted with each other. The dinner was a relaxed atmosphere for the students to do so.

So here she was, standing in front of the very room she had humiliated herself in, loathe to knock. Even with the knowledge of the broken lock and the whole situation being only partly her fault, Miranda still felt like a fool. But for all her faults, she did have a few good qualities. One was her determination to make things right.

She raised her hand to knock.

"If you're done staring at my door, will you step aside so I can go inside?"

Miranda screamed, falling back in her haste to turn around, hitting her head on the doorknob as the door was pushed open by her weight. The expression of shocked and annoyance on that handsome face was what she saw before Miranda fell into blackness.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own D. Gray-man. I could never have created something as cool as that. **

**A/N: Taking a break. This is a crack pairing and just something to update. Review if you would like me to continue.**

**Answers to reviews**

**dragonlayer: I'm really glad to hear it! Hope you enjoy this chapter as well.**

**MiranKaya: Thanks for the luck. Your words made me happy.**

**Erika Hearken: Thanks for your awesome review. I'm not sure when but I'll get to the kissy kissy soon enough. **

**Isabelle: Well, for starters, hello to you too. You're the first French person I've the pleasure of meeting (well, not exactly but I hope you get what I mean). Thank you very much for your lively review and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well.**

**Alright ages: Miranda and Lavi are twenty, Kanda is his regular eighteen self, Allen is fifteen and Lenalee is sixteen. **

Miranda had been raised in a middle orphanage, well enough to provide good food and proper education for their charges. But even with extra money, the nuns never sought to give them proper bedding. Their mattresses had been made of straw and the pillows were lumpy and uncomfortable.

Even as she grew older and moved out of the orphanage, Miranda never had a proper bed. Her studies and constant jobs had her sleeping at desks or collapsing on the floor.

So the softness she felt confused her. It was like how she imagined sleeping on a cloud, all soft and fluffy, sleeping on air. But there was a certain hardness her mind couldn't quite comprehend. And also, she was being moved, something she couldn't also understand. And did she mention how bad the back of her head felt?

"Stop moving her Yu. You're just going to make her worse," a cheery voice scolded.

Wearily, Miranda opened her eyes.

"Don't call me by that name," Kanda said angrily. "I'll kill you."

"Eh?!" Miranda jumped at his words, flailing in his embrace. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!"

"Wha-Quit moving! You'll make me-"

THUD!

"Whoa! Are y'all okay?" A redhead boy with an eye patch asked, not looking the least worried.

"Shut up and help!" Kanda growled, then checked the woman he had carried. He sighed. In her hysteria, she had fainted again, perhaps hitting the same sore spot she had from the doorknob before.

"Fine, fine." Picking up the woman instead, the boy took off the covers from the bed before laying her gently on it, mindful of her head. "So this is your partner? She looks so ordinary. I thought German girls were babes." He turned to the scowling dark haired boy. "So, what are you going to do with her? Call the infirmary?"

"I have some antibiotics and gauze. So there's no need," Kanda said, moving towards the closet. "Now get out."

"Oh…" He smirked knowingly. "You want me to leave? Yu, I never thought you were so forward." He dodged a flying vase, letting it crash against the wall. "Careful. You don't want to wake her up from her much needed rest, do you?"

Kanda reached down and picked up a Japanese katana, unsheathing it slowly with a dark look in his eyes. "Lavi, if you don't leave now," he warned, "I'll throw you out of here with certain parts unattached."

"Alright, alright. I'm going." Lavi sighed, moving towards the door. "Oh hey, do you want me to call Lenalee? Or Professor Nyne? You know, just in case it's more serious?"

"She only bumped her head. It's nothing I can not handle. Now go," he ordered, putting the katana back in place. "And bring back some dinner. For her."

"You're not going to eat again? Jeeze. Fine, I'll bring back some. For the _both _of you." With that, Lavi left, closing the door softly behind him.

Kanda shook his head, not bothering to reply. Instead, he continued to search for the necessaries needed. Once he got what he needed, he turned back to the woman on his bed.

She was a scrawny thing, a bit shorter than him. She wore the uniform of the school, a black coat jacket and black slacks, with the cross emblem of the school. But they were all a size too big, making her seem like she was being swallowed.

He lifted her head slowly, check the back of her head for the shiner she took. It wasn't big, but it will still give her a massive headache when she wakes up. It would be best if he put some of the herbal medicine he put on his own cuts during his workouts.

Decided, Kanda sat down to do the preparations.

It was strange. Usually, he would be so annoyed with people like this. Actually, he was a little. But it didn't stop him from turning his back on her, especially when she injured herself so stupidly. What else did she expect from standing in front of the door of an occupied room?

_How was she suppose to know he wasn't there?_

He stopped in the preparations, annoyed at how that voice sounded just like the annoying Komui. The head of the science department was the one the boys went to if their weapons needed fixing. The Order was a school of both martial arts and academics. And so, they had a person to fix the broken weapons.

But sadly, beggars couldn't be choosers. While Komui may be the best in preparing weapons, not much could be said of his obnoxious personality. Not to mention his annoying habit of trailing after his younger sister, Lenalee.

Finishing the concoction, Kanda moved towards the bed once more. Lifting her head once more, he applied the medicine. He then wrapped the wound in bandages, whirling them around her head. He then laid her head back down.

Now that it was finished, there was little to do than wait. Wait for her to wake up, wait for Lavi come back. Nothing to do but wait.

Luckily, it was something he did so well.

**---**

This time, when Miranda woke up, she was surrounded by fluffiness. It was a different sensation from before, the feeling of floating. She opened her eyes, a bit dazed as to why it was so dark when the hallway had been lit by lights. Yet here, it was night itself, with the shades drawn and the switches off. It was pure darkness.

Miranda slowly sat up in the bed. Luckily there was enough light coming from underneath the bathroom door to give her some inkling of where everything was.

The door opened and she shielded her eyes from the sudden harsh beam of light. Through her fingers, she saw the profile of a tall, long haired figure, talking to someone from the outside.

"She still hasn't waken up?" someone asked incredulously. "I'm starting to think she probably got a concussion or something. Yu, you should really take her to the infirmary."

"It's exhaustion more than the head wound. And Lavi," something glinted in the light. "Didn't I said not to call me by that name?"

"Hey! Put that away! You know we're not allow to use weapons after hours," a new voice said.

"Why did you bring the bean sprout?" Kanda demanded, glaring at the newcomer who returned with equal hostility.

"It's Allen and Lavi asked me to come because he needed help carrying all this food," Allen said.

Kanda sighed. "Why did you bring so much? You make it seem there's more people in my room."

"But there _are _more people in your room," Lavi pointed out. "And I didn't know about her appetite. Like maybe she eats a lot like Allen does. Come on, Yu. Don't tell me you thought everyone in the world eats as little as you."

Miranda tried to quietly sneak out of the bed, though what good that would do as he (and apparently they) already know of her presence inside. But really, it was for her nerves that she need to sneak away.

But how, she had no clue. The only door out was currently occupied and since this was the fifth floor there would be no escaping from the window. So in short, she was screwed.

Kanda turned as though he could sense her moving. She froze as their eyes met, dark blue clashing against a honeyed brown. Miranda gave an low squeak, feeling very much like a deer caught in the headlights.

He watched him give an inaudible sigh and open the door further, flipping the light switch in the process. The two boys entered the room, smiling friendly smiles at her, moving slowly as to not frighten her further.

"Hey there! Sorry about this, all the commotion I mean. We didn't mean to wake you," the red head boy said. "I'm Lavi by the way, and this is my high school partner, Allen."

"Good evening," the white haired boy bowed politely. His demeanor seemed aristocratic, but there was a hidden ruggedness that Miranda could relate to. He also appeared to be English, or somewhere from the area.

Then she realized something.

"G-GOOD EVENING!" She threw off the covers and ran to the door. Bowing, she yelled," I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to impose on you for so long! I'm sor-Ah!" She held her head as a sharp pain struck the back of it.

"Don't move so much. Otherwise, you'll make my efforts wasted."

Hands covered her own over the bump, surprising Miranda a bit. They were cold, with the faint heat of life. Miranda looked up and stared into the face of her partner, Kanda, whose first name apparently was Yu.

Letting go, he turned to the rest of the boys. "You two, leave. Obviously, you two are bad for healing."

"Aw, Yu!" Lavi groaned. "And just when we got you all this food."

"The food was not for me but for her. It's your fault that you got so much." Kanda moved from the door, dropping his sword against the wall. "Now leave."

"Come on, Lavi. Might as do what the princess says," Allen said mockingly, moving towards the door.

"What was that bean sprout?" Kanda growled, gripping his sword's hilt.

At the door, Allen smiled kindly at Miranda. "We'll be seeing you."

"Yeah. Probably you and I will have the same class," Lavi added, waving good bye. "See you tomorrow."

The door closed., leaving the two alone.

"Um, I guess I should be leaving as well…" Miranda said, feeling very uncomfortable with the current situation.

"No. You're staying."

"Eh!" She jumped at his matter of fact tone, as though he didn't ask her to do such a scandalous thing. She stared at him wide eyed as he moved to a chair that had been drawn next to the bed. Was he sitting there all this time? She wondered, feeling a bit charmed that he expressed worry over her well being. Granted that it was her fault for being hurt in the first place.

Kanda looked at her, seeming annoyed. "Do you really think I'm going to eat any of this?" he asked, pointing out the many plates of food Lavi and Allen had brought. "It was suppose to be for you, seeing how you missed dinner but those idiots went over board like always. Come. Take what you want and throw away the rest. I'm going to bed." He pulled the chair back to its proper place by the table and went to the drawers.

Miranda moved to do as he said, but stopped as she realized something. "Aren't you going to eat?" she asked him, picking up a plate of spaghetti and meatballs.

Kanda tilted his head towards her. "No."

His answer was a bit intimidating, but Miranda was compelled to continue. "Surely you want to eat something. If you were watching over me this whole time, you wouldn't have gotten a chance to eat dinner," she pointed out.

"I don't need to eat much. Only one meal is fine."

"A day? But that's so unhealthy!" she protested and was rewarded with an uninterested glance. Really, she should have meekly run away by now. His look alone had her intimidated. But for some reason, Miranda couldn't let this matter alone. Especially when he was living so unhealthy. Something about this really bugged her.

"A-at least please eat a little something. It doesn't have to be the whole plate," she begged quietly. "Fo-for me, please?"

That was stupid of her, asking for favors when she had no call to ask of them. Especially when she 1) stumbled on him when he was showering, 2) injured herself and impose herself on him, and 3) kept him from his usual routine for how long it been.

Kanda thought so too, for he started to laugh. Okay, maybe not laugh but he did give a wry smile and shook his head. "You're strange," he said. Strangely it did not seem like an insult, but as a compliment. "I don't think you should be worrying about other people's health when you are so poorly in yours."

Miranda hung her guilty, mumbling, "Actually, I'm more injured from my own clumsiness than natural illness."

This time she was sure he chuckled. Kanda went to pick up a plate, a dish of vegetables, white rice, and small pieces with chicken tossed with carrots.

"I can probably stomach this. Would this satisfy you?"

Though it was the smallest serving of all of them, Miranda nodded. She took the plate of the spagheti for her meal and helped Kanda throw away the rest. She also helped tidy up his bed, fixing the wrinkled impression she had left there.

"Well, I shall be going now," Miranda announced. She lingered a moment longer. "Um, shall meet you tomorrow for orientation?"

Kanda nodded. "I'll be there," he said dismissively and, as if she'd already left, began to take off his shirt.

Blushing, Miranda left quickly, rushing to her own room and stepping inside. Quietly, she waited until her heart slowed its beating.

"He's warmer than I though he would be," she whispered softly and smiled.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own D. Gray-man. I could never have created something as cool as that. **

**A/N: Taking a break. This is a crack pairing and just something to update. Review if you would like me to continue.**

**MiranKaya: I'm glad you liked it.**

**Erika Hearken: Like I said, not sure when I'm going to add those parts. I'm still just writing as I go. And I'm glad you like this story enough to check it every day.**

**Isabelle: Thank you so much for the praise! I'm so glad you are liking this story so much. So France huh? How is it over there? (Don't really have to answer that)**

The Order Academy was located a block down from the dorms and designated apartments. It was a large school, about two hundred acres with a multiple of five buildings for academics, a large open courtyard for practice and recess, a separate building for the science department, and three more buildings for the martial arts classes. The high school classes were located on the two bottom floors while the college filled the rest of the five floors.

The cafeteria was located in its own building near the courtyard. On its opposite was the auditorium. There, orientation was being held.

And inside here, Miranda Lotto sat awkwardly next to Yu Kanda.

Okay, she will admit it. Kanda is a good looking man and will become even more beautiful as he grew older. So of course, he will have ladies pining for his attention.

But this, she thought, peeking around and shivering at least once for every girl who glared at her in jealous hostility, was a bit scary.

"Ignore them," Kanda growled in annoyance, knowing what she was staring at without looking himself.

"I-I'll try," Miranda said, giving a strained smile, feeling instantly when the level of hatred aimed at her increase.

She could only hope they were only high school students. It was going to be hard dealing with them if they were the same as her.

"Miranda! Kanda!"

Miranda turned and brightened as the sight of Lenalee. She was dressed in the female uniform of the Order, consisting of a black skirt with black stockings, a long sleeve black shirt with the school's logo with a coat jacket as well.

"Lenalee! Are you part of the orientation too?" she asked the girl cheerfully.

"Yes," Lenalee smiled. "I'm part of the Student Council who set up this up. So are you ready for this school year?"

Miranda nodded. She was surprised, however, when Lenalee pulled her to the side, a bit far from where Kanda could hear.

"So has he been mean to you?" she asked quietly.

Remembering what she had said about her friend yesterday, Miranda shook her head n. "Actually, he has been quite kind so far," she replied honestly, feeling a little bashful. "He's been so helpful. I can not repay him for all that he's done."

"Really?" Lenalee looked quite shock to hear this, staring right at the solemn youth beside them. "That's strange. Kanda's usually really quite mean, sometimes close to cruel."

"Eh?" Miranda gaped, unbelieving what she had heard.

"Yo! Yu! How was your _last night?_" Lavi sat next to Kanda, wrapping an arm around him. He wore a uniform similar to Miranda's own, only his shirt was un-tuck and opened at the collar.

"Good morning, Lenalee, Miranda," Allen greeted the two, books underneath one arm.

"Ah! Good morning, Allen," Lenalee replied, beaming at the English youth. "How did you like your room?"

"I liked it very much. Thank you for asking." Turning to Miranda, he offered an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, Miranda. I'm afraid I'm the reason Lenalee was so late in receiving you yesterday."

"Oh! No! It's alright. I didn't have… I mean there was no…. It's alright," she finished lamely. Nothing she could have said would be the truth. She did have a bit of a problem, cause Kanda a lot of problems, and made a complete fool of herself. But Miranda's kind nature couldn't tell that to Allen, not when he and Lavi had went through the trouble in getting them dinner.

"Still, I feel bad for it. Tell you what. If you ever need a favor, just come to me and ask."

"No! I couldn't possibly-"

"No, it's alright. I want to do this." Allen smiled.

"**Attention students. Please take your seats. Orientation is about to start."**

"Well, that's my cue. See you later, everyone," Lenalee waved goodbye and left towards the stage.

"Hey Lavi, we best get some seats before they're all gone," Allen told his college partner.

"Nah, it's cool. Let's stay here with good ol' Yu," Lavi grinned, seeming oblivious to the obvious hatred Kanda was viewing him with. "C'mon. Take a seat, Allen."

Miranda sat back in her place, trying to make herself small and pay attention. Allen sat next to her.

The orientation started with the presentation of the headmaster, an old man with a strange moustache and a plain looking individual next to him. Mainly it was about all she had already read in the brochure, what she memorized already. So she grew sleepy, and by the time it finished, she was nearly asleep, her head bent low, nearly on her knees.

Feeling embarrassed, her gaze went straight to Kanda and gasped.

"It's the same every year," he growled, seeming tired.

"Yeah. The same rules, same protocol, same instruction. Doesn't matter how many times we hear it, he just has to say it for the sake of hearing himself talk," Lavi grumbled. "AH! Why do we have to go to orientation if we've been at the same school for nearly five years?"

"Correction: we may have been at the school long enough but there's some of us here who haven't the pleasure of hearing the old fool talk," Kanda said, looking pointedly at Miranda and Allen.

"Oh yeah. Right." Lavi fiddled around with a miniature hammer figurine.

"Also, Lavi?"

"Yeah, Yu?"

"Get off of me!" Kanda pushed the red head away, getting him so unsettled that he fell off the chair, causing quite a commotion.

"LAVI! WHY I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN! STAY AFTER THIS PRESENTATION IS FINISHED FOR SOME LEARNING OF THE SCHOOL RULES!!!" the man roared.

"Ah, gee!" Lavi groaned, rubbing his shoulder where he had smashed it. "Damn it, Yu!"

"Hmph." Kanda looked away, ignoring the glaring red head.

Allen sighed. "Once again, Kanda has caused trouble for us."

"What was that bean sprout?"

"It's ALLEN!"

"Um, I guess… this is what Lenalee meant by Kanda being cruel," Miranda muttered to herself before going forward to stop the two boys from fighting.

**---**

Since she was a little girl, Miranda had always been the type of person who couldn't do anything right no matter how much she tried her best. It was like her entire existence was nothing, meaningless to everyone and everything in the world.

Failing at everything, losing job after job after job due to her clumsiness. But Miranda saw that one thing she was good at was time- or more accurate, mathematics.

It was where she felt home the most, doing the equations and expressions that told the time, the exact location of something. Here, Miranda felt anything but useless. Even, she dared to believe, she felt a little loved.

So Miranda couldn't wait to start the class, sitting down in her designated desk with a big excited grin on her face. Seeing her so happy and excited, one could say that she look… pretty.

After leaving the three quarrelsome boys (Lavi had historical classes this period), she had went to her first class, which she found luckily without much trouble. Here she waited for the professor, sitting quietly in her seat.

"Hey isn't she the girl partnered with Kanda?"

Suddenly the day didn't seem so bright. Miranda tensed at the angry tone the words were said.

"Yeah. I cant believe they picked someone so plain and boring like her. I thought someone as great and famous like him would be paired with someone… I don't know, more taste? Just look at her hairstyle! Talk about ew!"

Miranda cringed and unconsciously touched the ponytail she had it in. She had thought that the style was cute, especially when she held it with a pink ribbon.

"I know freshman college students are paired with senior high school students but couldn't they pick someone better for him. Jeeze, it totally pathetic!"

"Yeah, why couldn't they pick one of us? We're probably smarter than she is! I'm mean, we are prettier!"

Miranda slump low in her chair, wishing she could disappear.

**---**

"HAHHH!!!!!!!!!"

"What's wrong, Miranda?" Lenalee asked, looking worriedly at her sulking friend.

She looked up at the sudden question by the Chinese girl. "Ah! Sorry. It's just… The classes were so overwhelming for the first day. I was just thinking about the lecture, that's all," she said quickly, trying to sound honest.

"Oh! Yeah, first days are always a lot to handle, even to the students who have been here longer. Even I sometimes have trouble but when I do I just ask my partner for help," Lenalee said, understanding though she felt there was something she wasn't being told about.

And boy was there ever. The whole class had suddenly heard or seen Miranda with the famous Yu Kanda and suddenly have been critiquing her, wondering about her social class, who she was, where she came from. One had even asked her pedigree and family line. It made her wonder what made Kanda so popular among these students.

Not only that, but she was also reprimanded for being seen near Lavi and the new English student Allen. It was just one thing after another and the silent snickering behind her back had been distracting as was the accidental poking and bumps she received when they had to move to receive their books.

It was a worst way to begin the day.

To stir the topic from it, Miranda asked, "So Lenalee. Who's your partner student?"

"Oh! He's suppose to meet us today but I'm afraid he might've gotten lost again," she sighed.

"Oh really?" So he's a lot like me, Miranda thought. "What's his name?" she asked.

"It's-"

"YO! Lenalee! Miranda!"

The two women looked behind them at the red haired Lavi dragging a hapless looking tall man with the pinkest lips Miranda ever seen. He had black hair with a white streak flopped over his face. His uniform was like Kanda's only instead of a long sleeved shirt he wore a long coat over his attire.

He looked _very _uncomfortable and probably wanted nothing more than to flee Lavi's grasp. The question as to why he hasn't already however eluded Miranda. He was so much taller than Lavi after all.

Dragging him towards them, Lavi greeted the girls. "Guess who I found, Lenalee, lost in the wrong hallways again?" he asked, looking happy about the situation. "Kro-chan!"

"I-I see," Lenalee said, nervously smiling. "Um, why are you calling him Kro-chan?" She turned to her college partner. "Did he bully you into this, Krory?"

At the question directed to him, Krory jumped and fidgeted. "No," he said, sounding absolutely uncomfortable. "I let him call me that. I mean, it's the first time I've ever have a nickname and well.." He trailed off and just finished by rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

"Well, this is Arystar Krory, my college partner," Lenalee introduced to Miranda. "Krory, this is Miranda Lotto, Kanada's college partner. You've met him earlier."

"Oh. You mean the sullen looking fellow." Krory smiled at Miranda. "Nice to meet you, Miss Miranda."

He was terribly shy, a trait that Miranda herself shared. She greeted him back, returning his smile and shaking his large hand.

"Kro-chan's a junior so if you need any help, just ask him, Miranda," Lavi said and then yelled, "Oi! Aleen! Over here!"

Miranda stared as the white haired youth walked towards them. She eyed the dozens of plates he held in each arm, her mouth parting slightly in shock.

"Hello everyone," he greeted them, not at all winded by his load.

"I see you already passed the lives. Does Jerry still have some food left or did you clean him out again?" Lavi asked, taking a plate from the stack and began eating.

"There's still some so get your own." Allen glared at his partner.

Lunch passed quickly as the companions ate and got even closer acquainted with one another throughout that time, even as she shared in Krory's viewing in watchin Allen all that food, Miranda watched the door for her own partner. However, the time came to an end with no sign of the young man.

"Where you're going, Miranda?" Lenalee asked, watching as the older woman picked up a plate that Allen hadn't managed to eat.

"I wont be long. I'm going to find Kanda," she said and left the lunchroom before Lenalee could say anything else.

Which might have been a bad idea since she had no idea where she should look for him.

Miranda wandered the halls, passing people talking or rushing to their next class. She searched the buildings before finally wandering outside. The courtyard was mostly empty, as it was nearly the end of the lunch period. She came to a stop in the middle of the field, looking down at the plate she still carried.

One meal a day was so hazardous to someone as young as him. She should know; after all, she had to strave some days when money was too tight for any food.

But what was the point now, if she could not find him? Would another good intention of hers would go to waster once again?

"Just what am I suppose to do now?" she wondered aloud.

CLACK! TWACK! CLACK!

"Ah!" She jumped at the sudden sounds of fighting. Though they were in the distance, it had felt so loud and clear. In her fright though, she had spilled some of the food to the ground. "Oh no!" She eyed the dropped food tearfully. Though there was still enough on the plate for a full meal, but it might have just as well been the whole thing.

TWACK! CLACK!

Unconsciously, she began to move towards the sudden, seeing there was little to do. She crossed towards the nearest building, peeking within the slightly opened doors.

They battled one another like a sort of dance, their weapons clashing against one another fiercely and without mercy. He moved magnificently, as though the sword was an extension of his own arm. There was no man and his weapon. There was just one beautiful dancing the horrid dance of death.

Now Miranda could see what made Kanda so famous.

"Stop!" the master called the fight to an end and the two fighters bowed to one another and turned to leave the fighting area.

Kanda stopped at the sight of Miranda standing there, looking awe and breathless as though she had been the one fighting, not him. "What are you doing here?" he asked her.

"Tha-That was amazing, Kanda!" she ran to him excitedly. "What type of style was that? No, wait. Let me guess. Kendo, right?"

"Advance style of kendo," he corrected slowly. He couldn't believe that someone like her would know any of the martial arts, especially those not shown on television. "What are you doing here?" he asked again.

"Oh!" Miranda lifted the plate. "I got you something to eat. You missed lunch and I didn't want you to go on one meal a day. You know that's bad for you, right? So I got you something small so you can eat it and-" She stopped talking when Kanda lifted his hand for silence. "Did, did I do something wrong?" she asked quietly.

"Miranda, did you know that the academics classes and the martial arts classes have different lunch schedules?" Kanda asked, sounding a bit annoyed.

"Huh?" Miranda looked black for a moment, then remembered one of the many schedules she had memorized before coming to the academy. "I-I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to! I just, I just wanted to make sure you ate something. I-I'm sorry."

"It's alright," he sighed, "but perhaps you should leave now."

"Yes, yes I should." Lowering her head, Miranda gave a small bow and quickly left the class, face red with embarrassment.

Everything once again has gone wrong. What she tried to do right blew up completely in her face, no matter what she did and how she tried to change her ways. Nothing just didn't seem to go right for her. Nothing at all.

Looking up at the blue sky blurred by her tears, Miranda wondered how long it would be before she was kicked out of here too.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own D. Gray-man. I could never have created something as cool as that. **

**A/N: Taking a break. This is a crack pairing and just something to update. Review if you would like me to continue.**

**Answers to reviews:**

**mimicsmaze: I'm so glad you're enjoying this fic. I am so embarrassed. I didn't realized that I had misspelled Kanda's name wrong. Argh! So sorry, so sorry! I agree that the few fics of this pairing are good. They are what inspired me to write this fic in the first place. **

**MiranKaya: I'm glad you like it. It just seemed to be something what the real Lavi would say. I'm trying to keep all the characters in character (did that even make sense?). Once again, thanks for reviewing.**

**dragonlayer: It's cool. I don't expect everyone who reads this to review ALL the chapters. I just need the reviews for bit of inspiration to go on so one or two is fine. Thanks for reading this!**

**Erika Hearken: Once again, thank you for a wonderful review. Remember Kanda's not usually nice to other people and I had to keep him in character.**

_Miranda, Miranda, unlucky lady Miranda_

_You're not popular, you're too dark, you're so slow_

_Looking for work again today?_

_You'll just be fired soon anyway!_

_Tick, tock, tick, tock…_ Slowly, unhurriedly, her clock lulled her from sleep. As she opened her eyes it chimed the hour.

Seven o'clock. An hour before her first class began.

Miranda unfurled herself from the floor, sleep momentarily making her forget where she was and why she was sleeping on the hard oak floor. The she remembered the report she had to write for Lit class, and how into it she had gotten that she probably stayed up all night to write it, only falling asleep when the exhaustion over took her.

She yawned as got ready for the day.

An entire week had passed since the start of school, and a couple of days since her little mistake with Kanda. The two hadn't seen much of each other, their respective classes keeping them busy and unable to converse. And it wasn't just them. Miranda hadn't been able to talk with neither of her new friends.

The first year of college life was so exhausting but it was something she was used to.

She collected her bag and left her room.

**---**

"And that is it for today. Don't forget that your reports are though this Thursday."

The class began to move. Miranda wiped her eyes of the sleepiness she felt and collected her things.

"Miss Lotto."

"Huh?" She looked up and nearly dropped her book in the process. "Yes, Professor Tiendoll?"

"I want to ask you if you and Miss Rayne would like to file some papers for me as extra credit. I have a feeling that the two of you are finished with your reports. So, what's your decision? There wont be any reprimanding if you refuse. Though I would appreciated the help."

"No! I will do it, sir. Just, what exactly am I to be filing?" she asked.

"Oh, nothing much. Just a few past projects." The professor said with a smile.

Professor Tiendoll led the two women to the back storage room. The sight of so many folders left Miranda gaping at the sight.

Turning to them, the man smiled. "Just do those on the table and that'll be all. Don't worry about the time, girls. Just do it at your own pace. Thank you for the help!" he said and left the room.

Trembling, Miranda asked quietly, "There's a table under there?" She turned to the other woman, a girl named Skyler Rayne and gave a shaky smile. "So, shall we?"

Skyler gave Miranda a cold glance and started picking up a large stack of folders to take.

So the two worked in silence, lifting the folders and putting them in the current order of the shelves. Miranda tripped a few times, causing more of a mess on her side.

When Skyler finished, she left without nary a word. She didn't even offer Miranda help, even when it clearly appeared that she would not finish any time soon.

Three hours later, Miranda barely had one row finished. And a whole lot left on her side of the table.

She sighed and wavered a bit to the exhaustion. Three hours of sleep definitely did not do her good and since it had been a while since this happen to her so her body felt a little weathered, more tiresome than usual.

Her stomach grumbled, wanting a meal that she couldn't get at the moment. "It would be rude if I just left this unfinished. Huh, I wish this was over! Why did I have to say yes? No! The fact that I did say yes means I have finish it. So…" She picked up another file and started working again.

_Tick-tock. Tick-tock. Tick-tock._

It helped, listening to the continuous ticking of the clock hanging in the store room. Though a bit faster than her own grandfather clock, it gave the same relaxing feeling.

Soon, her fingers stopped quivering and her work finished more quickly than the time she wasted dawdling.

"There!" Miranda said happily, patting the files. She felt proud of her accomplishment.

She looked at the clock and her face fell.

"IT'S THAT TIME ALREADY!!! I MISSED DINNER!!!" Rushing from the room, Miranda ran towards the dinner hall.

Where it was empty as she ever saw it. Miranda even imagined a tumbleweed passing by, as though mocking her for her foolishness.

Her stomach grumbled pitifully.

Defeated and brooding, Miranda stalked to her room, shutting the door behind her.

"It's okay," she told herself. "You've gone hungry before. It's nothing that you ever done. You went through something like this already. Once more shouldn't matter right?" She laughed, as to convince herself truly that it was alright.

"_What? You messed up again?"_

Miranda closed her eyes against her will, sliding down to the floor.

_SMACK!_

_Little Miranda flinched as the ruler smacked against her small hands, leaving red imprints against her pale flesh. She gave a whimpered but held back her tears, sniffing._

"_As for your punishment, no food again for tonight. Go to your room and practice your writing. don't stop until you've completed two hundred lines. Now go!"_

Miranda took off her gloves, the first time since she came here. Holding her hands up, she eyed the secrets that she hid from everyone. Ghastly indentions marked the skin like a horrible brand, a scar from a incident long ago. A foolish circumstance that could have been avoided.

Smiling bitterly, she sang, "Miranda, Miranda, unlucky lady Miranda You're not popular, you're too dark, you're so slow Looking for work again today? You'll just be fired soon anyway!"

Covering her eyes, Miranda curled on the floor tried to gain some sleep.

**---**

"Yo! Miranda!"

"Huh?" Miranda turned and nearly fell when she was grabbed around the shoulders, making a perfect twirl before stopping to be curled against a hard shoulder. "L-Lavi!"

"Long time no seen, Miranda," he smiled in greeting. "How you been?"

"I've been well," she said, returning his smile.

"Are you sure? You look exhausted," Lavi said, looking at her with a critical eye.

"I'm sure. I just been working late, that's all. There was a report I needed to write and well the hour grew late without me realizing it. Silly, aren't I? But enough about me. How are you, Lavi? And where is Allen, Lenalee and Krory?"

"Allen and Lenalee's on a field trip, Kro-chan's holed up in his room studying, and I know for sure Yu's not here.. So it's just me and you on this fine Saturday morning. Wanna go out on a date?"

"Eh!" Miranda turn a bright red, so red that her head looked like a giant tomato with brown hair.

"Not an actual date, silly. If that makes you feel too uncomfortable, just think of it as a look around town. You probably haven't seen the sights yet. Come, Miranda. It'll be fun, I promise."

Though she didn't want to, Miranda couldn't just refuse. Especially when Lavi was doing the puppy eyes at her. Finally, she agreed. "Alright then. Let's go."

"Yay!!!" Lavi hugged her tightly, crushing her against himself. "But first, put on a cuter outfit. don't you have something else other than your uniform?"

"Well… hehe he," she laughed creepily, rubbing the back of her head in embarrassment. "It's all I brought. You see, before landing a scholarship to the Academy, I was just a poor orphan out on the streets. I barely made enough money to pay the rent so… Besides two black dresses and three more pairs of uniforms, this is all I have."

"Really?" He looked thoughtful, then his lone eye bore down on her in inspection. It made her feel really uncomfortable. "Then it's settled! On our day out, we're buying you a whole new set of wardrobe!" Taking her hand, Lavi took her out.

**---**

The Academy was located in a remote isle located south of the British Isles. It was such a prestigious school, it even had its own city. It included shopping malls, museums, food courts, and anything a city had. It was simply amazing and grandiose.

Inside a certain department store, however….

"Lavi, I'm _really_ uncomfortable with this! I appreciate the gesture but I simply cannot allow you to do this for me! Please! Let me wear my uniform!" Miranda begged from inside the fitting room, peeking from the door.

"Huh? You cant be serious, Miranda. After hearing that sad story of your life, did you really expect me to leave you alone?" the boy asked while telling the store's worker his opinion about an outfit she held for him.

"No! But still! Ah!" She was forced to fall back as the smiling woman came inside, with the outfit in her hands.

"Now miss, don't be shy. Be nice to your kind boyfriend and show him your gratitude by dressing up real nice for him!"

"NOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!" Miranda wailed.

"It's almost like we're torturing her," Lavi muttered quietly, smiling a little and went back to looking for more outfits that would suit the shy woman inside. But he then saw someone. "Hey Yu! What are you doing here? I thought you would be practicing for that tournament coming up."

The dark haired young man stopped in his tracks, looking in surprise at the sight of the older boy. "Lavi, what you doing her?" he asked, looking at the sign above and raising an eyebrow. "I didn't think you had this type of hobby."

"Hey! It's not for me, it's for Miranda!" Lavi growled, his eyebrow twitching.

"Huh?"

"Sir, you're really going to like this!" said the store clerk excitedly, gaining the two boys' attention.

"Oh really? Let's see! Let's see!" Turning to Kanda, he grinned. "Are you excited?"

"What have you gotten her to… do…" His words trailed off, shock taking his words.

"Um, how do I look, Lavi-eh?" Miranda stared at the sight of her partner standing next to the red haired boy. Dressed in a black spaghetti strap dress with black red garters and low heels, she looked kinda-

"Wow Miranda! You look hot!" Lavi praised to her. "I knew this was a good idea. Now we can go on our date. Ma'am, we'll be taking that."

"Yes sir. I bring up the purchase." She went to the cashier.

"Wait, date?" Snapping from his daze, Kanda turned to him.

"Yeah. Miranda is going on a play date with me. You know, among friends. So first, I buying her a new wardrobe and then we're going to see the sights. Wanna come?" Before Kanda could respond, he turned to Miranda. "Go pick some of the ones you like and add those to the total, 'kay?"

"But-"

"Now then," he interrupted her, moving to the cashier. "How much is it so far?" He left the two partners alone, either by intention or accident who knew.

"Um, how are you, Kanda?" Miranda asked, fidgeting. To have something to do, she began to do as Lavi had told her, picking the outfits that she really liked.

"Fine," was his one word response and she flinched at how _cold_ he sounded. Really, it was a bit frightening.

"Th-that's good to hear. Have you been eating enough?"

He sighed. "Enough with my health! What about your own?" Kanda demanded.

"Huh?" She paused holding one shirt, looking at the dark hair youth. "What do you mean?"

Kanda lifted her face with his hand, looking hard at her. "You look exhausted. Have you even slept once this week? Forget about my lack of meals. What about your lack of sleep?"

Miranda didn't know what to be more embarrassed about - the fact he was right or the fact he was so close. Still not used to the contact of men, she felt faint and quickly moved away.

"Yes, well. I had a report to finish," she said lamely and quickly immersed herself in the selection of the clothes. "I finished it early so I decided to help out some of my professors. It's nothing that I'm not used to."

" 'Something you're not used to' ?" Kanda repeated. "And that makes it right?"

"Well, there's nothing I could have done to change the bad situations, so all I could do was to get used to it. I had no home, no parents to take care of me, or any money so I had to make do with what I had. I worked a different job every week, went to school and paid the rent. So it's become something like a routine for me." She smiled at him. "So I suppose it does. But I do know that not eating is not right."

Kanda stared at her, wondering about her life before all this. He started at the fact he was thinking too much about it and looked away.

"Yo guys!" Lavi came back. "So Miranda, have you chose the clothes you liked?"

"Lavi, I still think you shouldn't do this," Miranda protested, but it was a faint one. The exhaustion was wearing her resolve, nearly making her give in.

"Nah! Think of it as a gift." He took the clothes she carried and handed them to the clerk. "That too please. Now then, shall we have lunch? Yu, are you coming?"

For a moment, it looked as though he would say no. But then…

"Yeah. I'll come."


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I don't own D. Gray-man. I could never have created something as cool as that. **

**A/N: Taking a break. This is a crack pairing and just something to update. Review if you would like me to continue.**

**Answers to reviews:**

**f4aw2v: Thanks for the applause and no comment to the Lavi remark:)**

**mimicsmaze: Thank you. I'm glad you liked it and I hope you like this one as well.**

**Isabelle: Thanks! Hope you like it in Germany and sure there'll be more chapters for you to read when you get back. Thank you and I wish you a merry Christmas as well!**

**MiranKaya: Thanks for the luck!**

**Erika Hearken: It was totally on purpose, if you read closely (hint hint :] )**

Miranda sighed. It was finally over, this long day of festivities that Lavi had planned. Not only had they ate at a extravagant restaurant, they possibly went to every building in the city, either for sight seeing or just because. Also because Lavi wanted to check the architect of the buildings.

"Stupid rabbit!"

She jumped and berated her own foolishness. She had almost forgotten she and Kanda had opposite rooms next to each other. And also the fact he was holding all of her new clothes, since Lavi had left them to do a sudden errand.

"Thank you, Kanda for the help. I'll open the door right away now!" Hurriedly, Miranda opened her door and stepped aside, allowing the dark haired youth to come in. "Sorry if it's a little messy. I was cleaning my clock before Lavi took me out on that date."

Suddenly, Kanda turned to glare at her. "Stop calling it that. It was nothing like a date," he demanded.

"Ah, yes. I suppose," Miranda mumbled, cowering under his mighty stare.

He started and tsked angrily, moving instead to put the bags on the table near her clock. He then stood back and crossed his arms, looking at the large Grandfather.

"Thank you again, Kanda," she told him and began to unpack the bags. Five minutes later, she noticed that he was still there, standing and looking at her beloved clock. "Ah, that's my clock! I mean, sure it's my clock. Why else would it be in my room. Um," she quivered on what to say next. "Do you… like it?"

Kanda jumped slightly as he realized what he had been doing. Moving next to him, Miranda told him about it. "I found it in a garbage heap on my way home from being fired from work. It looked so lonely and sad. I guess it sort of reminded me of myself, someone who has been tossed aside. Without thinking, I reached out and turned the spring and suddenly it chimed. It turns out all it need was a little cleaning. But the previous owner had died and hadn't left a will so it was tossed out with the rest of the stuff. So I took it home with me and have been with me ever since."

Silence reign a bit before Kanda said, "You know, had someone saw you, it might've been considered stealing."

"EH!! BUT, IT WAS IN THE TRASH! NO ONE WANTED IT!" Miranda yelled hysterical.

"It wouldn't have looked that way. And if you had just been fired, you were probably crying then, correct?" She jumped as though it struck a nerve, and Kanda asserted as the truth. "Then you probably would have looked suspicious. Had someone saw you, they might've mistaken you for a criminal, no matter what explanations you gave them."

"Yes b-but…" she whimpered at the close call she had that day. It was probably the only lucky day she ever had. To think she could have gotten arrested. "But it wouldn't matter," she continued. "This clock has been my only friend, my only support through the bad and worst times of my life. There's no way I would part with it ever! So don't even think it!" She gave him a glare, though its effect was shattered by her constant quivering.

Looking at her, it was hard to believe that she was the grown up. Kanda smiled ruefully at the implication. No, even with her hard working life, she wouldn't be as grown up as him.

The clock chimed the hour startling the both of them. "Ah! It's dinner time. Who knew the hour passed so quickly? It's a bit amazing, isn't it, how time seems to flee so quickly. One day, I wish I could fly too. Oh what am I saying!" Grabbing his hand, Miranda started out the door. "Come on! It's time for dinner!"

Like a little child with an exciting secret, she took him with him towards the kitchen hall, unaware of the small, pleased smile on his face.

**---**

"A dance?" Miranda repeated, food still halfway towards her mouth.

Lenalee smiled and nodded. "Yes. Since we're so close to Halloween, the Student Council decided to sponsor a dance where the kendo team can relax before their big tournament," she explained. "The school theme is the 'Phantom of the Opera'. It'll be fun! So, are you going?"

"It-it sounds fun but I don't really have a dress for a party," she admitted shamefully.

"Oh, that's alright. We also got permission to lower the dress code a bit. As long as it's appropriate, you can wear your costume."

"But still… A-a party…" Miranda trailed off, a shiver running down her spine as she remember the last party she had attended, not as a guest by as a worker.

It was not something she wanted repeated.

"If you're worried about not having a date, we could both go together. I don't have a date either," Lenalee offered. "I know both Lavi and Allen are coming and I just need to convince Krory to as well. Please Miranda. It'll be fun, I promise."

"Or I could be your date, ladies!" Lavi plopped down and wrapped his arms around both of the girls' shoulders. "What do you say? Sounds good huh?"

"Lavi, you're not taking us just so you can avoid all your fans, are you?" Lenalee asked, looking at him disbelieving.

"Heh, right on mark!"

"It's alright, everyone. It's just a party. I don't really have to go, do I?" Miranda asked hopefully.

They both nodded their heads yes. "And besides," Lavi added, "I bought you a lovely dress you could wear too."

She lowered her head in defeat. There was no way out of it and she suppose she could go as a thank you to Lavi for doing all those nice things.

"Alright then."

**---**

Throughout that month, the school was busy preparing for both the party and the big tournament. Even the teachers had lessen the workload to help lessen the stress on the team. Everywhere one looked, there wasn't a place for promotional posters supporting the team's victory.

Except of course, the physics class Miranda had.

"Don't forget to turn in your worksheets by tomorrow. Anyone who doesn't shall suffer horrible punishment," Professor Sokkaro warned, slamming his book closed. "Now, scat. Everybody out before I skewered you!"

Hurriedly, all the students gathered their things and left. Miranda finished in record time, stuffing all of her things in her bag. She ran from the classroom, not wanting to test Professor Sokkaro's threats. Outside the hallway, she let out her breath in a puff of exhaustion and relief. One more thing she wass good at was running away.

Something she learned on that day. Speaking of which, the anniversary was coming up. It was not a day she wanted to be alone on but she had no choice. For it was the same day of the dance.

Just her luck.

Sighing, Miranda made her way towards her next class, stopping at the sounds of squeals. She turned and gasped.

Coming her way were a group of members from the kendo team. Among them, leading, was Kanda. She smiled and gave him a little way as he passed. He nodded in greeting at her and stopped by her side.

"Go on ahead," he told the others. "I'll meet you on the field."

"Later, Kanda," they told them and parted ways, leading them alone. Well, not really alone, Miranda amended, wincing a bit at the sight of the glaring high school girls.

"So, um…" she started nervously, having not expected for him to stop to talk to her. "Did you-did you have something to say to me?" She ended with a light laugh, not really knowing what to say so probably ended up looking stupid.

"Yes I did," Kanda replied and Miranda urked visibly at the sound of his angry tone. "What this about another date?"

"Huh?" She blinked stupidly.

"Don't act stupid! That stupid rabbit has been bragging all morning. Don't tell me he bullied you into this again!"

"Rabbit…" Then it hit her. "Oh! You mean Lavi! But it isn't a date. He is just going to escort Lenalee and I to the dance. That's all. Didn't he… mention that…?" Miranda trailed off. From the expression on his face, it was obvious that Lavi had not. "Well, it is not a date. It's just a get together among friends. Okay?" She smiled, hoping that it would satisfy him. Though she did wonder why he was so worked up over this. It wasn't that he cared about who she went to a dance with.

Right?

Sighing in frustration, Kanda angrily asked, "Why are you trusting that rabbit so easily? He's not as kind as he seems."

"What do you mean?" Miranda questioned him, wondering what brought this on. How could a simply question brought to this. This right to question what she did or who she did things with. It made her feel a bit… angry with him. "All I know is Lavi has been unbelievably kind to me. If going to a party is what I should do as payment, then that's what I shall do. It's really none of your business Kanda."

He started, as if he didn't believe what she had done, standing up to him like this. Kanda gritted his teeth in frustration, not wanting this to end like this.

It really didn't make sense, these sudden emotions. Why it had made him so angry when he heard Lavi brag to him about bringing Miranda to the dance.

Swallowing all the cruel retorts he wanted to say to her, Kanda responded, "That's not what I wanted say. Not what I was intending for you to think. But the thought of it still makes me ill. Lavi is using you, either for seriousness or for kicks. That is why, you're going with me."

"EH?!" Miranda gaped, looking so surprised her expression actually became scary. "But-but w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-why?"

"Isn't obvious?" When she shook her head and did not answer, her mouth still wide open, he sighed and began to explain. "Not only are you clumsy as hell, you look like the type who would get in a car accident just by standing on the sidewalk. It'll make me feel better if you were with me and therefore better to look after."

She still not responded, too shock to do anything but stare.

Annoyed now, Kanda sidestepped her. "Be ready at eight." Then he left her, standing in the hallways, still gaping at his decision.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I don't own D. Gray-man. I could never have created something as cool as that. **

**A/N: Taking a break. This is a crack pairing and just something to update. Review if you would like me to continue.**

**NOTE!!!!!!!! Updates are going to be slow since my stupid ass siblings just fucked up the computer- AGAIN! Until it crashes, I'll try to update as many stories as possible. I haven't gone writer's block or lost interest or anything. Heck, I'm going to be coming out with another story soon. It's just this the only computer I have and my siblings are idiots. Sad to say but it's true.**

**Answers to reviews:**

**mimicsmaze: No, Lavi isn't the bad guy. I've got another guy in mind… But yeah. He's trying to get those two together, seeing how Kanda first treated Miranda that first night. As you might expect, he doesn't treat many girls that way.**

**Isa: Sorry about that. A friend of mine was really pressing me to update the next chapter. Since she's sort of my lord and master, I had to obey. (j/k) But seriously, she wouldn't stop bugging so I decided to update earlier than usual. Thanks again for another one of your wonderful reviews. I hope you have fun at your brother's house.**

**Rikanen: Thanks!**

**Erika Hearken: Maybe….. To tell you the truth, it was just a random idea that hit me. It started off as a poll between me and my muse and she thought it would be cool to do a phantom of the opera themed dance. So I sorta squeaked that into this fic. But I promise to make Kanda as drool worthy as possible. **

**f4aw2v: Thanks!**

**MiranKaya: I'm glad you liked him. This is how he probably would be if Hoshina actually created a character intriguing enough to peak his interest. Complete with the fact he's not that nice to both genders. **

**RyosukeofDark: Had to end it somewhere.**

**Now to The Dance, Part One.**

"What should I do?" Miranda wondered as she wiped down the grandfather clock during its daily cleaning. It tick-tock in its continuous mantra, though it served no purpose in calming the erratic young woman.

She paused at an indention, wincing like always as the memory flashed through her mind at how it came to be. The scars on her hands tingled.

"NO! NO!" Miranda shook her head furiously. "Now's not the time! Oh, what should I do? I don't even want to _go_ to the dance. But I've already said yes! Ohhhh!!" She ran her fingers through her wavy hair, tugging at the ends as though to inspire an idea for her predicament.

What was worse though was probably what _his _reaction would be.

Knock! Knock!

The sounds made her jump, startling her. Miranda looked towards the door and slowly walked towards the it. Slowly opening it, she called out who it was.

"Hi Miranda!"

"Good evening. Mind if we come in?"

"Sorry Miranda," Lenalee apologized. "I couldn't stop them."

"I-it's alright, heh," Miranda laughed nervously as she was face to face to her one of her problems (or should she say the start of it) - her original date, Lavi. But why was Allen here too?

Wondering about it, she let them all in.

"Heard about the whole thing. Sorry if Yu was a little rough on you," Lavi said, heading straight towards her closet. "I didn't think he would get this mad. Must of liked you a lot."

"Huh?" Before she could ask what he meant, Allen was talking to her.

"If you want me to beat him up for you, just ask me," he offered with a big smile on his face, as though wishing for her to say yes.

"Um no. Please don't do anything horrible."

"Fine," Allen sighed in disappointment.

"So what have you decided to wear?" Lenalee asked, joining Lavi at the closet.

"I-I haven't really decided," Miranda admitted truthfully. "But I'm not really sure if I'm going."

"Nope. There's no ifs or no-s about this," Lavi said. "Now that Yu has chosen you as his date, there's no way out of it." His lips curved in a smile, grinning evilly. "All's according to plan, heh heh."

"What was that, Lavi?" Lenalee asked while taking down a dress for inspection.

"Nuh-thing."

**---**

Halloween was on Saturday night, but it was also the day of the tournament. So, to compromise on the dates, the dance was to be held on the Friday night before, ending early for the kendo team members to get some rest.

That night came too quickly for Miranda, who found herself sitting with Lenalee in a beauty salon, getting prettied up and painted for the dance.

To be blunt, she was going through hell and back.

"Um, Lenalee?"

"Yes, Miranda," the girl answered, in the middle of having her hair shampooed.

"Is this necessary? I mean, it's only going to be one night. Why are we getting so ready like this," she asked, squirming under the ministrations of tow beauticians.

"Of course. It's a woman's duty to be the beau of the ball, or so to speak." She sat up as the woman at attendant toweled her hair carefully. "And besides," she smiled at the nervous woman, "you have to look your best tonight, Miranda. That is, if you want to prove them wrong."

"Huh-Ah!" Miranda winced and was berated by one of the beauticians. "I'm sorry. I'm just not used to this kind of treatment. I'm sorry!"

"I can tell," the woman said bluntly, sounding very annoyed.

"Don't worry so much," Lenalee smiled, though she gave a highly disapproving look at the beautician. "After all, this is just the beginning. We have your dress fitting next."

Miranda groaned. "Please don't remind me."

The dress Lenalee and Lavi had prepared for her was a yellow flowing dress with a black headdress. It was very cute and reminded Miranda of Little Red Riding Hood, as weird as it sounded.

But like her new wardrobe, it was given to her by Lavi and that just serve to make her feel worse. Especially with the embarrassment she already caused him.

Dolled up and partly readied, Miranda and Lenalee were led to the back rooms, were they were to change into their fabulous dresses.

"Just stand here and try not to move," the seamstress ordered as she began to maneuver the cloth around her body.

"O-okay," Miranda whimpered, though even through her best intentions her body still quivered and squirmed under her ministrations.

Why do I have the feeling something bad will happen tonight? Miranda wondered fearfully.

**---**

The only time Miranda has ever gone to a dance was when she had to work as a serving waitress. It had been the worst experience in her life, her clumsiness making a grand star that night.

"Miranda, stop fidgeting. You're not going to an execution or anything. Though I sort of understand if your date is going to be Kanda," Lenalee added in a quieter voice. "Besides, you look so beautiful. They did a great job on you!"

"Not as beautiful as you, Lenalee," Miranda amended, smiling in awe at her friend.

It was true. The Chinese girl had chose a kimono styled dress with butterfly designs lining like a dance around the midriff. A pale sash was tied around her waist and her hair had been tied into a low bun, held up by an exotic comb. Light makeup powdered her cheeks and a low pink lipstick coated her lips.

"No. This is nothing. You should really look again at yourself. Here, I think I have a mirror." Lenalee dug around in her purse.

"No, no. It's okay. I'll believe you," she waved the offer away. "Now, where was I suppose to meet Kanda again?"

"Don't worry. Lavi's bringing him." Lenalee replaced the glass mirror back. "Come. Let's go inside."

Miranda nodded and followed the younger girl inside the theatrics building, which had been temporarily been vacated the past week for the dance. It had been a clear-spaced two floored building with an opened square in the middle for the lights. In short, it was perfect for this theme of dance.

She gasped. The students in the Council had done such a wonderful job. It looked exactly the scene in the recently released movie of Phantom. The entire first floor had been cleared of the usual desks and was modeled accurately as the catacomb room of the Phantom. There was even a small, portable fountain stream to signify the canal under the opera house. The only lighting were lighted candles, big and small, fitted across the room in a cluster as one would see in the funeral home.

Yet it all added to the effect and instead of giving a creepy feeling, Miranda felt only the awe of the beauty the Phantom gave in his music. The misunderstood desire he tried to give Christine that led to the tragedy of his death.

"It's so beautiful," she whispered out loud breathlessly.

"If you think this is beautiful, you should see the second floor. We even managed to get a chandelier and designed it as the opera house," Lenalee said.

"I cant wait!" Miranda began to rush towards the stairs before stopping. "Um, maybe we should wait for the boys first. I don't want Kanda to get mad at me again."

Lenalee laughed behind her hand in amusement. "Don't worry. Lavi's probably already done that by now. And also I don't think he's happy when what we planned with him."

"Huh?" Miranda looked at her friend and was about to ask her what did she mean when-

"YOO HOO!! GURLS!"

They turned around to see Lavi tugging the two guys behind him. "Been waiting long?"

"We've just arrived. I see you managed to get the two dressed properly," Lenalee smiled.

"Wasn't easy but I managed," he grinned, holding out the two like trophies.

"Oh!" Miranda clapped her hands together excitedly. "Oh my gosh! Let me guess. You're dressed as Raoul," she pointed to Allen, "and Erik, the Phantom, right? Right?" She pointed to Kanda.

"Yep," Allen answered, his smile looking a bit strained. He was gentlemanly dressed, looking like he just came out of the movie itself.

"Tch! Why wasn't I informed there were parts involved and I was volunteered for it!" Kanda asked angrily, crossing his arms and refusing to look at anyone. He, too, was wonderfully dressed, one half of his face covered by the mask of the Phantom, his long hair flowing down his back. He truly looked like a man of the night.

Miranda felt herself blush as she continued to stare at him. Probably was the heat she felt within this dress she was wearing. It _was_ kind of thick threaded, though the ends were flimsy lace and it ended at her knees, wearing black stockings as well.

"Wow, Miranda! You're so cute! Maybe I should have fought harder to keep you as my date," Lavi said appreciatively, smile down at her.

"Eh! No, no! Lenalee looks more cute than me. She's beautiful, don't you think so?" she asked, waving her hands around in an attempt to get the attention directed away from her.

One thing Miranda wasn't good with were compliments. Heck, not once in her life did she ever receive a thank you for her efforts. Even on her good days.

"No, he's right. It's not just Lenalee. You look very pretty, Miranda," Allen smiled at her, looking very handsome in his attire. He then turned to the sulking Phantom. "Hey Kanda. Shouldn't you be the one showering your date with compliments? Heh, I bet you haven't even taken a good look at her." He gave an evil and smug grin.

"What was that, bean sprout! Of course I have looked at her! I-" As he turned her direction, he stopped. Now that he got a good look at her, it was true on what the others were saying. Never once did he imagined with a little makeup and a good dress could make such a difference. Heck, even the dark rims around her eyes were gone, making her brown eyes shine.

For once, Kanda has found himself with nothing to say and looked away angrily, cleaing his throat.

"Aw… Looks like Yu is smitten," Lavi cooed happily.

"Shut up."


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I don't own D. Gray-man. I could never have created something as cool as that. **

**A/N: Taking a break. This is a crack pairing and just something to update. Review if you would like me to continue.**

**NOTE!!!!!!!! Updates are going to be slow since my stupid ass siblings just fucked up the computer- AGAIN! Until it crashes, I'll try to update as many stories as possible. I haven't gone writer's block or lost interest or anything. Heck, I'm going to be coming out with another story soon. It's just this the only computer I have and my siblings are idiots. Sad to say but it's true.**

**Answers to reviews:**

**MiranKaya: Definitely. Now let's see how this will go, hmm…**

**mimicsmaze: Thanks! I drew a fan art of the two for my friend and I'll put it up soon. They look so cute together, if I do say so myself. Yep, Allen was reluctant to do so cause, well, you'll read why in this chapter.**

**f4aw2v: I'll try.**

**Rikanen: Got that right! :)**

**RyosukeofDark: Thanks! I'll try. **

**Isa: Ah but of course! Glad to hear from you. How was your x-mas and new years?**

**Now to The Dance, Part Two.**

The dance was going so smoothly. All the girls enjoyed the costumes Allen, Lavi, and Kanda wore, especially the ones on the Student Council. The music was changed to slow classical, perfect for the couple dancing.

Which came as another reason for the boys wearing the costumes. The girls could dance with one of them as part of a fundraiser for the theater group and the kendo team funds. Sad for them, it had all been purely chosen by a computer at random.

Miranda watched smiling from one of the chairs gathered to the side, laughing a bit at the expressions of all of them as they dance with one girl after another girl after another. It was quite entertaining, especially the looks on Kanda face as though he stepped on dog poo or something.

"Having fun?" Lenalee asked, sitting down beside her with a drink in her hand.

"Oh yes! I'm having such a good time, better than I had expected," she answered. She turned back to the dance floor. "They having so much fun out there."

"Maybe Allen and Lavi are, but I'm not sure about Kanda," Lenalee said. "He looks like he's being tortured instead."

The two of them laughed at the truth of it. Then the Chinese girl turned to Miranda with a determined face. "Seriously, though. If you want to join them, get up there. I'm sure one of the boys will give you a free spin."

"No thank you. I'm fine just watching. Besides," Miranda added, rubbing the back of her head in a nervous manner, "I'm so clumsy I probably would create a big mess. It's not worth it."

"Miranda, don't be so gloomy. This is a night of fun. Now let's get out there!"

"Ah!" She was pulled onto the floor by a freed Lavi, twirling clumsily around the dance floor as he pulled her into a dance. "Lenalee!"

"Have fun, you two." Lenalee waved.

Lavi led her in the dance, which was the type of dance where the partners were changed. Miranda was so stiff and nervous she wasn't much of a partner. But he didn't give a complaint, instead distracted her with jokes and told her stuff about his historical classes.

"Man, my teach's one crazy womanizer. I cant count how many times he hit on the teacher next door. And what's weirder is that Cross is Allen's guardian. Is that crazy?"

"Oh. Then Allen doesn't have any parents?" she asked him.

"Yeah. But according to him, he did have one dad but he died a few years ago from an illness and got stuck with Professor Cross. So if he acts a bit sadistic, forgive him. He picked up a lot of bad habits from him."

"And, what about Kanda?" Miranda asked a little shyly.

"Oh Yu? Me and him knew each other since we were kids. If ya want to hear the rest, why don't you ask him?"

"Huh?" Suddenly, Lavi twirled Miranda and handed her to the next partner of the set. Once she could get her bearings straight and actually was dancing on the floor and not on the guy's toes, she looked up and stilled at the sight of those dark eyes.

"Uh, hi Kanda," she greeted weakly.

He said nothing and Miranda felt foolish. Together they danced silently, in tune with the music. But she soon realized that, while they were dancing, they were moving away from the pairs. Straight towards the stairs that led to the roof.

"Come on!" Once in the clear, he grabbed her hand and rushed towards them, pulling her with him inside. He staggered to the first of the steps, falling to sit on the ground.

"Kanda!" She jumped, rushing to his side as she believed he was hurt or something. "Are you alright?" She checked his face, just in case he was.

Kanda jumped a little at her sudden attention, but recovered, brushing her off. "I'm fine. It's nothing you should worry about," he said curtly, looking away.

"Are you sure? It could be exhaustion from all the dancing you've been doing," she pointed out. "Or could it be you are not comfortable with crowds?"

He sighed and glanced at her from the side. In her thoughtful expression, she looked very adorable, much to his surprise. Better looking than all the girls he's danced with by far. All they wanted were compliments from him, desires to be his girlfriend. They talked his head off with useless topics.

Especially the crude remarks they had made about the woman in front of him.

"It's okay, you know."

Kanda jumped at the sudden statement. She smiled at him in understanding and moved a bit closer to him. "I understand," she repeated. "It must be tiring and overwhelming to dance with so many girls. It's admirable, really, especially since you're doing this for a noble cause. So I can understand the need for a break, to catch your breath and rest your feet. Take as long as you need. I'll go get you something to refresh you." Miranda moved to stand but instead was held back when Kanda suddenly grabbed her hand.

"No. It's fine. Just… stay." Tinges of red appeared on Kanda's cheeks, though they were hard to see in the soft candlelight. But his fluster and desire for her to stay was what touched her the most. She was used to people walking away or telling her to leave.

'Okay," she said, and sat by him on the stairs, looking forward with contentment. And so there they were, sitting side by side, Kanda brooding, Miranda happily listening to the music that came outside, muffled by the heavy door. Through that time, not once had he relinquish hold of her hand, had seemed forgotten that he was still holding it.

After a while, Kanda stood and pulled her with him, now holding both. Outside the music has once again changed, becoming the duet that had probably made the musical famous. The song Christine sang while being pulled to the Phantom's lair, later joined by the Phantom.

Miranda stared up at Kanda, not understanding what he wanted when gently he moved her to the first step.

"_In sleep he sang to me, in dreams he came. The voice which calls to me, and speaks my name…"_

"Kanda, what are we doing?" she asked timidly.

"What does it look like?" he said, a bit harshly at her denseness.

"But I haven't paid to dance with you! Not that I wouldn't want to otherwise but still…! This is stealing sort of! You should really go find one of those other young ladies who-"

Kanda twirled her, then pulled her close. "Miranda," he said. "Shut up. I don't care about those other girls. Right now, I'm dancing with you. So dance."

Blushing now, Miranda tried to make another protest. "I'm not a good dancer, Kanda. I'll step on your toes the whole time, I'll miss the timing a lot. Really, I'm a horrible partner. You should really go find another more graceful person to-"

Again, he shut her up, this time pushing her upward by her lower back so that they were nearly face to face, so close for a kiss. "You'll learn. If not, I'll lead."

Kanda led her in a waltz, perfect for this song. In the faint light, his eyes gleamed darkly, more so the one within the mask. And not once did they stop staring at her, making Miranda feel even more nervous.

Her twirled her, held her close at the right moments, led her into such an exquisite dance it was a shame that their only witness were the candles above. And to intercept each of her blunders, fixing her mistakes before she even begun to create them. And she had many. Half of the time, she was gliding in her arms, or being held up while she would have otherwise fallen. It amazed Miranda of how strong Kanda was. But of course, being the kendo team captain, he had to be strong. But surely she must be a little heavy?

"You're so light. Do you even eat?" he asked her, looking hard at her though his eyes were light.

She flushed. "Of course I eat! You're the one who barely-! Oh never mind." She looked away, beginning to blush when he began to smile. It was then she realized that he was teasing her, actually teasing her. It made her feel flustered and warm.

Not liking this feeling, Miranda tried to turn the conversation to him. "Kanda, have you eaten any of your meals today?" His blank stare was enough answer and she scolded him. "Kanda, you need to eat all of your meals. It's not healthy."

"So you've already told me," he remarked, leading her into another dip.

"But you're not listening! Is it because you don't like the food they give?" she asked. At his response or lack of, she guessed it to be the truth. "Well, then. What foods do you like?"

"Soba and some Japanese food."

Miranda though about it and realized those weren't on the school menu. "Have you requested it?" she asked him.

"Maybe."

She frowned. He gave another one of his "can mean anything" answers. They don't really help. "Then have you tried the other foods they offer?"

No response that time, only an annoyed look as if she should know the answer. Miranda sighed and laid her forehead against his chest, for the moment exasperation making her forget her actions. She wonder why they were even having this conversation, since he had no desire to change the situation.

The song had come to a close but their dance continued, so close together like a couple. It felt really nice, but then she realized what she was doing and tried to jerk away. Instead, a hand was placed on the lower of her back and Kanda lowered his on top of her head.

"K-Kanda," she squeaked, not understanding what he was doing and why.

"Shut up," he said to her and rock his body, the sensation moving hers.

Miranda realized a new song had emerged, another slow one for couples. And again Kanda was letting her dance with him, even for such an intimate one.

She felt herself blush again but tried to relax. Never has anyone ever been so kind. Miranda let her worries go and enjoyed this dance with him, relishing the warm heat his body gave. Truly, this was such a wonderful night.

**---**

Everything was going so beautifully, Lenalee thought, dancing together with Allen when he could finally spare the time. The dance itself was a success however….

"Where is Kanda? It's my turn to dance with him!" A girl came up to them, stopping their dance.

"Well…" Lenalee tried off, looking around though she wasn't really trying. It had been awhile that the friends had noticed Miranda gone also. They didn't really need to put two and two together to figure out what happen.

Since it was planned the whole time.

"He's probably around dancing with someone else," Allen answered, trying to sound helpful.

"No, he's not! I've checked!' the girl insisted, turning a horrible shade of red. "If you find him, tell him I'm waiting over there." Huffing, she went to the drinks table.

Allen sighed. "I actually pity Kanda if he has to dance with her," he said.

She smiled. "Well, wherever the two have gone, I just hope that they stay there until the dance is over," she said.

Just as she finished saying that sentence, a hush went over the crowd. The two of them turned to see the people in question, only Kanda was carrying a sleeping Miranda. It was a pretty sight, like something from a fantasy. However, that only made the girls around them fume with anger.

"Kanda," Lenalee said in greeting when he paused at them. "What happened?"

"She fell asleep," he replied. "I'm taking her to the rooms."

"Okay but-"

He didn't stay, leaving as soon as he finished his explanation. The two of them watched them leave into the night.

Allen gave a forlorn sigh. "Don't tell me that I have to take over his list," he begged his pretty friend.

Lenalee shrugged. "You could share with Lavi," she suggested.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I don't own D. Gray-man. I could never have created something as cool as that. **

**A/N: Taking a break. This is a crack pairing and just something to update. Review if you would like me to continue.**

**NOTE!!!!!!!! Updates are going to be slow since my stupid ass siblings just fucked up the computer- AGAIN! Until it crashes, I'll try to update as many stories as possible. I haven't gone writer's block or lost interest or anything. Heck, I'm going to be coming out with another story soon. It's just this the only computer I have and my siblings are idiots. Sad to say but it's true.**

**Answers to reviews:**

**MiranKaya: Yes, the horrid list. And Miranda was tired, unfortunately. Thanks for the review!**

**RyosukeofDark: Thanks! I'm glad you like. And thanks for understanding.**

When Miranda awoke, she had the same sensation of floating she had the first time she came her. She glanced up from where she curled up against a hard chest and blinked at the glare Kanda's mask gave. He looked down at her when he felt her move or maybe when she first awoke. He certainly had that kind of instinct, being the kendo captain after all.

"Kanda?" she whispered sleepily. Memories of the dance filled her mind and she jumped in his arms. "Ah! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to fall asleep. I guess I was really... tired." She yawned.

"We're here," he gently put her on her feet.

Miranda looked around and saw they were at her door. Kanda moved away from her and went to his own. However, after a moment and have not heard the sounds of her opening her own door, he looked back, to see her still standing there, looking settled down for a long wait.

"Aren't you going in?" he asked her.

Miranda jumped and turned around. By her guilty expression, it was apparent that she had forgotten something until this moment. He could guess what it was and wanted to smack himself for not thinking about it earlier when he spoke to Lenalee.

"You don't have your key, do you?"

She shifted her feet, acting very much like a scolded child. "Um," Miranda began, "when Lavi took me out on the dance floor, I left my purse behind with Lenalee. Um, I could go and find her and-"

Kanda sighed, loudly, and grabbed her hand. He opened his door and pulled her inside. He turned on the lights and wrench off the mask, proceeding to take off the heavy coat her wore.

Miranda lingered, wringing her hands nervously. She wasn't sure why Kanda had pulled her in with him; probably to give her a place to wait until Lenalee came with her purse.

"Um,' she said, trying to feel at ease and calm, "did you enjoy the dance Kanda?"

"Hated it." She flinched at the harsh tone, the anger beneath it at having to partake in such foolishness.

"Oh." Miranda didn't know what to say. After all, she had had such a good time dancing with him. To think he had loathed the entire time-

"But not my time with you," Kanda amended and un-cuffed his shirt. "It was the only time I actually could hear myself think."

She blushed, not knowing entirely why. It made her feel warm and tingly and she became even more nervous.

Kanda bent and dug around a drawer, pulling out a shirt and warm pants. He threw them at her, which she nearly dropped in surprise.

"I know that dress must be uncomfortable. You can wear those for the time being. Use the shower, too, if you like." Turning, Kanda began to unbutton his shirt, pulling off his muscled frame.

Reddening, Miranda fled into the bathroom and closed it behind her. Seeing him undress like that, so unabashed and without modesty, reminded her of the first day they met, when she rudely walked in on him when he was coming out of the bath.

Trying to calm herself, she glanced around the bathroom. It was very much like hers, in terms of built, but was as Spartan as the rest of the room. It only had the necessities one needed in the bathroom.

She put the clothes in the sink and tried to undress herself. But the dress had been sipped up and parts of the black veil had snagged in it. After a few minutes trying to undo it herself, it became clear help would be needed.

Face red with embarrassment, hands shaking, Miranda called out from the bathroom, "K-Kanda?" She heard a sound of acknowledgement and knew he was listening. "I need a little help."

There was a shuffle of movement then a knock. "Open up."

Miranda did, and quickly lowered her face o the ground. Oh god! He's only wearing pants! She thought furiously nervous. She turned so her back was facing him, careful not to glance up further, though the tattoo he had seemed to beckoned her, made her want to run her fingers over the ink.

"My veil is caught in the zipper," she told him nervously. "Can you… will you please…?"

Without a word, Kanda began the painful task, careful not to rip the fragile material. His hands had to constantly brush the exposed skin on her back, sending tingles of pleasure down her spine.

When he was done, Kanda gave her the veil and pull down the zipper, the dress gaping open and now loose on her body.

"Thank you," Miranda said and faced him with a smile. "I'll get… dress now."

Kanda didn't leave, only he moved forward. She watched, wide eyed, as his hand softly traced the curve of her face. Pulling away, she saw he had taken a piece of confetti that had been thrown at the dance. _then _he left.

Her knees buckled and Miranda fell to the floor. She idly wondered if her face could get any redder. Getting up, she took off the dress and proceeded to dress, trying to finish as quickly as possible.

**---**

Kanda shuddered and tried to calm down. He reminded himself that this was not the first time he helped a woman take off her clothes, but even that wasn't enough to quell the tightening in his pants.

But he doubted any man could, when faced with such soft skin. Especially having such a lovely creature half dressed in front of him. It was asking too much to _not_ be aroused.

He covered his face with both hands and sat down. Straightening his back, Kanda breathe in the practice of meditation. He had to calm himself or do something he'll surely regret.

_Knock…knock… _"Um, Kanda?" The door opened and Miranda stood in the doorway, very much embarrassed. "These pants wont stay up."

He stared.

She held them by the helm, expressing how loose they were around her thin waist.. Not only that, the shirt hung too long on her thin yet curvy frame. It flared around her creamy things like a skirt and the neck hung low enough to flaunt the tops of her breasts. Her hair was a bit tousled and she had cleared the makeup from her face, the friction having made her lips red and looking so kissable.

It was almost too much to bear.

Kanda cleared his throat and tried to think of something to say to her predicament. "You…. don't have to wear it. The shirt's long enough and I promise not to do anything or make any advances. Here." He stood from the bed. "You can sleep here tonight. I'll take the chair."

"Eh?!" Miranda watched as he pulled out the very hard and uncomfortable looking chair from the desk. "Y-you don't have to! I mean, this is your room and I shouldn't be imposing you like this and-"

"Miranda," she flinched at his sudden glare. "Lie down, and go to sleep. I'll turn off the lights."

"O-okay." Defeated, Miranda meekly went to bed and lied under the covers. Laying back, she watched as Kanda dimmed the lights and sit in the chair, crossing his arms.

Silence descended on them, a long unbearable one that left Miranda biting her lip. She wondered if she had done something wrong, if she had mistakenly insulted him or something of that nature. It left her worrying and fretting so much that she couldn't sleep even if she tried.

In fact, it kept her far from it.

She tossed. She turned. She laid on her back. She laid on her stomach. She just couldn't find a good spot, her worries too much for her to get comfortable.

"Calm down. You're suppose to be sleeping," Kanda said, sounding a annoyed.

"I'm trying!" Miranda whine. "It's just… It doesn't feel right! I shouldn't be taking over your bed like this!" She sat up, her eyes tear and her voice began to quiver.

He sighed. "I told you. Take the bed. don't worry about me."

"But I cant!" she cried. "Maybe… maybe we should, I don't know, share the bed maybe?"

Kanda stared at her incredulously. "What?" he asked.

Miranda turned red but still pressed on. "Not like that! We can sleep on the opposite sides. I don't move from one spot anyways and…" she trailed off as it got too embarrassing to continue.

He turned in the chair to stare at her silently. She quivered under that look and wrung her hands together. She drew her legs close in a protective gesture, as if she were expecting a blow.

Kanda sighed in defeat and said, "Fine," he said, making her jump. "But you better go to sleep."

"I will!" Miranda promised and pulled the covers so he could lie down and helped wrapped them around his body. The two of them laid on opposite sides and for a while, silence reigned. At last, Miranda's eyes began to droop, her conscience finally sated. But a new though nagged at her, depriving her of sleep again.

"Hmm? Kanda?" She turned slightly in his direction.

"What?"

"Are you planning to go trick-or-treating after the tournament?" she asked him.

"I'm planning to sleep," he replied.

"Oh. Well, Lenalee and I are going trick-or-treating tomorrow night. You can come with us, if you change your mind," Miranda offered.

"Hn."

Satisfied now, Miranda settled in and closed her eyes, smiling softly. Soon, sleep claimed her.

**----**

Kanda was the type of person to wake before dawn, without the aid of a clock. It was part of his instinctive nature as a swordsman, to wake up before the world.

On this morning, however, he didn't want.

There was no telling who broke the promise but the end result was just as pleasurable. The two laid in the middle, with Miranda curled against his frame and her head slightly resting on his chest. His arm had coiled itself around her waist, drawing her deeper within the embrace.

It felt nice, having another's body so close. What didn't was he was stiff as a board.

Silently, Kanda relinquished his hold on Miranda, careful not to wake her. Which was hard, she didn't want to let go, snuggling deeper into his chest and pressing herself closer to him. Which was not helping with his current predicament.

Finally, he managed to get free and walked inside the bathroom, closing the door softly behind him. Grabbing a towel that hung nearby, Kanda throw it on the floor and turned on the water of the shower, making it icy cold.

Unbuckling his pants, he went to work.

Miranda woke to the sound of rushing water. She stretched and gave a big yawn. She rubbed her eyes, turning to the side of the bed.

For a moment, she was confused where she was. If this was her room, why was the shower on? Did she leave it on? Thinking it was the latter, Miranda stood and began to walk towards the bathroom she opened the door…

….then closed it back quickly, now wide awake, her face a brilliant red, and remembering everything that happed last night. Mildly, she wondered if she was doomed to forever walk in on him. It didn't help that the shower glass was see through.

Running back to the bed, Miranda climbed inside, covering her face in hopes it would hide her embarrassment.

No matter how much she tried, she couldn't get that image from her mind. Sure it had only been his back this time but still! With the added effect of the water dripping from his back and she was surprised she hadn't fainted already.

It was strange, how much she's changed since she arrived here. Before, she couldn't last a single minute in the company of men. Now she spend the entire night in the bed of one. It was a big step from her previous experience.

Sighing, Miranda cuddled in the bed, relishing in the warmth it still had from Kanda's body. She was nearly asleep again when there was a knock on the door.

She got up and went to answer it, straightening the shirt that she wore as she went. It was Lenalee, already dressed in her Student Council uniform and looking remotely worried. If she was wondering what Miranda was doing in Kanda's room, she gave no indication of it.

"Good morning, Lenalee. Ah, the reason why I'm in Kanda's room is- well, you see-"

"I know," she said apologetically. "Sorry I didn't give you your purse. Kanda walked to fast for me to catch him. Actually, I'm glad he actually gave you a place to stay," she added in an undertone. "But that's not why I'm here. There's a phone call for you from your previous employment."

"A phone call?" Miranda repeated in wonder, then noticed the phone in Lenalee's hands. She took it and put it to her ear, answering it. "Hello?"

"_It's been a while, Miranda. I'm sorry if this call woke you up."_

The sound of that voice, that sinful voice, made the scars on her hands tingled with reminiscence. Of a night so long ago yet always fresh on her mind. Her hands shook and her breaths became small little squeaks of air.

"T-Tyki," she whispered fearfully.

"_Don't sound so surprise. You knew I would find you. Miranda, are you alright?"_

Miranda couldn't answer. She fainted.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I don't own D. Gray-man. I could never have created something as cool as that. **

**A/N: Taking a break. This is a crack pairing and just something to update. Review if you would like me to continue.**

**NOTE!!!!!!!! Updates are going to be slow since my stupid ass siblings just fucked up the computer- AGAIN! Until it crashes, I'll try to update as many stories as possible. I haven't gone writer's block or lost interest or anything. It's just this the only computer I have and my siblings are idiots. Sad to say but it's true.**

**Answers to reviews:**

**f4aw2v: …. Sigh, I wish. And it wasn't my brother. It was my stupid, immature, OLDER sister who ruined it. And yes, he was. :3**

**nmshy: Thanks!**

**Isa: Thank you! As always, your words fill me with such inspiration. (Glad to hear it. Mine was simple, but I got what I wanted so it was good all the same)**

**MiranKaya: This chapter was inspired by the first opening of the show, when Tyki comes out then Miranda. They made it seemed like they had something together so I was very disappointed when they didn't : And no, you're not greedy. **

**RyosukeofDark: Yeah, I had my muse give me that idea. And no, Tyki-pon wasn't a rapist but his attentions to Miranda did cause some bad circumstances.**

**mizikisan: Thank you very much! I'm glad you like this story so much.**

**Erika Hearken: Thank you! **

"_What if I told you I loved you?"_

_**From the moment he said it, I knew it couldn't be true. It was just simply to much to ask. And in my already dreary life, I knew such a thing couldn't be honest. I just knew. And yet, I couldn't help but wish with all my heart, that maybe, he was telling the truth. I yearned to dream, hoped to dream. **_

_**Months passed and they were blissful, everything I imagine. However, my thoughts continued to wonder… why me? Of all the women he could have had, why me? What was so special about me? **_

_**But then his family came and showed what I already knew. How insignificant I am, how stupid. For such incompetence, I received these scars, these horrible marks of dishonor on my hands. **_

When Miranda woke up, she realized she was crying. She remembered now why she no longer trusted men, why she feared them. Why she refused to ever speak to one in person.

But then she met Kanda and everything turned around on itself. Her vows forgotten, she began to wish again, to foolishly desire something lesser than before but might as well be the same - friendship, believing she was now strong enough to achieve that much.

She sat up, wiping at her tears, starting at what she saw. Though years old, her scars had opened, seeping blood. She stared, unbelieving what she saw. Could this really be happening? Could this be a premonition of some kind?

Miranda wouldn't be surprised if it was.

The door opened and she started, hiding her hands underneath the sheets. Inside came Lavi, smiling warmly at her and holding a bowl filled of sweet smelling water and some salts.

"Hey, Miranda. Good morning," he greeted, walking towards her. "I was just going to wake you up."

"G-good morning, Lavi," she said, giving a smile she did not feel. "How long has it been-"

"Since you were knocked out cold, I'd say a few hours. Lenalee and the others had to go help with the tournament so it's just you and me for a while," Lavi told her, coming to put the items on the side table by the bed. "Are you feeling better now, Miranda?"

"Yes. I don't know what went over me. I guess I was simply exhausted."

"Really?" Lavi's voice took a tone of puzzlement. "Lenalee had said you fainted after getting a phone call. She assumed it was someone you didn't want to hear from."

Miranda grew quiet. She wrung the sheets in her bloody hands, ruining them with stains of red. She wanted to run away, hoping against hope that this was all a dream, that she didn't have to explain her past foolishness to any one.

But that was never the case and she opened her mouth to tell the story.

Lavi patted her head fondly, quieting whatever words she was going to say. "You know, I want to be a historian, just like the man who adopted me," he said to her, in such a soothing voice it was hard to resist its effects. She melted anyway, underneath this man's comforting presence. "I'm a very curious person," he admitted too, "but not enough to force people to tell me stuff they don't want to talk about. So you don't have to tell me something if you don't want to. But if you feel if you have to, if you need to have someone hear it, I promise I wont judge you, 'kay ?"

She looked up, her eyes brimming with unshed. Biting her lip, she shook her head. "I want to," she said. "But I_"

"Right. You're not ready. But how about first we take care of these first." Carefully, he lifted her bleeding hands from the mess in the sheets, and got out a roll of bandages from inside his coat. "Then afterwards, how about we get something to eat, huh? I bet you're starve. Oh, and I forgot to mention Allen's still here. Hopefully he hasn't eaten everything in Jerry's kitchen yet."

Listening to his continuous talk and watching as he fixed the bandages over her scars, Miranda smiled and nodded. "Yes. Let's go get breakfast."

**---**

The cafeteria was empty except for Allen, stuffing his face like Lavi predicted. The white haired British boy waved them over to where he sat, surrounded by plates of food and empty ones.

Swallowing, he greeted, "Good morning, Miranda. Are you feeling better?"

"Uh, yes. I am," Miranda said, feeling a little embarrassed. She wondered if everyone knew she had fainted. But then she realized that Lavi probably had told him.

"Beware, Miranda. You're going to be the center of attention for a little while," Lavi warned, stealing a plate from Allen's pile and putting it before the young woman.

"Eh? Why!" she demanded hysterically. "Surely fainting shouldn't be-"

"No. It's not that you fainted in the hall," the redhead told her. "If you want someone to blame, blame Yu for not wearing a shirt when he arrived you to the infirmary AND not letting Lenalee cover you up when he took you."

"Don't worry, though. No one saw past your legs but you might want to avoid Professor Cross for a while," Allen said, chewing dango off the stick. "Better yet, just stay with one of us for a while, just in case."

Miranda felt like her face was on fire. Sure she had changed clothes before coming to the cafeteria, but she might as well hadn't. Already she could feel the weight of the humiliation, felt almost ready to faint again.

Lavi patted her head and in her brief moment of surprise, slipped a spoonful of oatmeal into her mouth. "Just chew and swallow, Miranda," he said to her. "Lenalee said to take it easy and so after breakfast we'll be going somewhere."

Swallowing, she asked, "Where exactly?"

"Well, since it's Halloween, we might as well get you a costume for tonight."

That took a while to process. Then…

"EHHHHHH??!!!"

**----**

Obviously, Lavi hadn't taken her to all the stores that day. She couldn't comprehend the vastness of them all, and she barely knew what most of them were for.

Lavi and Allen took her to a small little shop not quite far from the school. It was a bit shady looking and there was a strange smell in the air that smelled suspicious. But the two boys felt quite at home and she decided to trust them.

"Hey, Lavi, Allen! It's been awhile. How are you two doing?" the owner of the shop greeted them. He was quite young, probably a few years younger than Lavi but older than Allen, with brown frizzy hair and swirl-ly glasses. He came up to them in a wheelchair, the cast on his leg speaking of recent injury.

"Hey Johnny!" Allen shook the boy's hand while Lavi gave him a lopsided hug.

"Didn't think you be opened today, with it being Halloween and all," Lavi said, pulling away.

"Are you kidding? Today is when I get the best business. Late buyers, you know. And besides, I didn't have enough cash to go see Kanda." The boy peeked over and saw Miranda. "Oh, who's this?"

"The most important reason we're here!" The two boys grabbed each side of her and introduced her. "This is Miranda. Miranda, this is Johnny, the best costume maker on the world and the fastest too!"

"Now you're just exaggerating," Johnny scoffed but he flushed with pride. The two greeted each other politely. "So I take it you're here for a last minute costume?" he asked, taking out a measuring tape.

"But I already have a costume-" Miranda was cut off when Lavi covered her mouth.

"Yep!" Lavi said cheerfully, cutting her off. "And one to make her the cutest in the world!"

"L-Lavi," Miranda stuttered, blushing madly. "I don't think…!" She squeaked when Johnny suddenly put his face real close to hers. She hadn't even heard his wheelchair move.

"Hmm…" The boy scrutinized her closely. He began to measure her, taking down her measurements silently on a notepad he took out and occasionally asked Miranda to lift a limb or stand in a certain way. She stood still as a marionette, obeying every one of the boy's commands.

Finally, Johnny wheeled himself to the back of the shop, on his way taking necessary items, like cloth and stitching. Before closing the door, he called out, "Be back in an hour. I'll have the basic fitting done by then."

"There he goes," Lavi grinned. "Well, let's go. Johnny doesn't like to be disturbed while he's weaving. Makes him feel nervous if we crowd around him. I'd say he be done in half an hour. What do you say? Want to hang out at the bookstore?"

"But-but I already have a costume!" Miranda protested, stopping the two boys on their way out. "You saw it when you went through my closet!"

"Yeah, but you don't have one that's made by Johnny," the redhead pointed out. Then he patted her head fondly. "Don't worry. Johnny's going to make it cute, not slutty. He's not that kind of costume maker. The only times he makes those are when the shop is doing bad and he's desperate."

"But still… I cant keep receiving these kind gifts from you. You've already given me too much than I deserve."

"But I haven't given you anything so that's why I'm paying for this," Allen said, surprising her.

"You are?" Miranda repeated a bit dumbly and stopped. There was something in his gray eyes. Something like… guilt?

"Let's go the bookstore that has the café. I'm starved." Suddenly moving away from her line of sight, the British boy led the way.

"What? But we just ate thirty minutes ago!" Lavi said incredulously.

**---**

The team had won. They were going to the next round of the tournament. It was a cause for celebration. Everyone else sure was. The team had already dispersed, each member going to find a different way to celebrate.

All but one.

Yu Kanda, the captain of the kendo team, was in a very bad mood. Not the one to celebrate a hard earned victory, he usually gave a nod of acceptance to his team and leave. But today, he lingered, glaring profusely at the locker in front of him. His mood had been the same since this morning and nothing seemed to lessen it or improve it.

The bad part was no one knew why. Not his teammates, his master, no one. In the end, however, it didn't matter as uch. Especially since his foul temper was partly the reason why so many of their opponents lost. Stiffened by instinctive fear, they couldn't move and therefore couldn't defend when the young man attacked.

The problem was, however, that not even Kanda knew the true cause of his anger. Was it because when he saw that expression on her face, that horrible look of terror mixed with undeniable longing?

He hadn't known the college partner that had been assigned to him for long, but he knew her long enough to know this: he didn't like seeing that expression, not on her.

Kanda growled silently and exited the locker room. He was in such a haste, he nearly missed the person who was waiting for him.

"Hey! Kanda! Wait up!" Lenalee ran after the fuming young man.

"What?" he demanded, but didn't turn around.

"Now is that the way you greet a friend?" the girl scolded, hitting him over the head with her clipboard. "Fine then. I wont tell you what Allen told me about Miranda's early bird caller."

That got his attention, as he swirled around to face her. "What?" he said, nearly yelling it. "What did that bean sprout say to you?" He grabbed her shoulders as he demanded to hear the information.

"Number one, his name is Allen, and number two, do you really want to know?" Lenalee asked him quizzically. "It's Miranda's business after all."

His brow twitched with irritation. "Then why mention this to me if you weren't going to tell me?"

"Maybe just tell you a little," she retaliated. "Since you seem to really care about Miranda a lot."

"What? No I don't!" The response had been immediate, like from a young boy who wouldn't openly admit a crush. Kanda had realized this and his scowl turned fierce.

"Really? You don't?" Lenalee looked at him knowingly. "But maybe I'll tell you anyways, if I have some extra provocation…" She trailed off and Kanda sighed.

"Fine. What do you want?"

"A new pair of ballet shoes and for you to be nicer to Allen."

Kanda tsked in anger, knowing the last had been deliberate. "Fine and I'll try on the last one. But I'm not making a promise," he muttered. "Now tell me. Who called Miranda this morning?"

The Chinese girl looked at her friend, wondering for the moment how he was going to take this news. Especially if her hunch was right and Kanda liked the young German woman. Steeling her resolve, she told him.

"It was…"

**--- **

"Miranda, can I talk to you alone?"

"Eh?" Miranda looked towards the British boy. They were currently on their way back to the dorms, Miranda's costume in tow to be in time for the kendo team's arrival. "S-sure."

Allen looked towards Lavi and Lavi, interpreting that look, smiled in response. "I'll go up ahead then. don't be long." With that reply, he went on ahead, leaving the two alone.

When he was sure the nosy Lavi wasn't in earshot, Allen stopped walking and turned towards her. "I take it you know from Lavi a part of my history," he began and continued when she nodded. "Well, I lived with a foster father by the name of Mana, who died of natural causes five years ago."

"I'm sorry to hear it," Miranda told him, feeling great sympathy for the boy.

"Thanks but you don't have to be courteous. You didn't know him or me." He smiled. "I lived with my second foster father, the man you know as Professor Cross Marian, ever since. But before that, long before Mana came to my life and adopted me, I was the abandoned son of a noble family, who continue to have much influence to this day." He glanced at her. "I think you worked for them once, if I remember."

"You…you don't say," she whispered, beginning to understand where he was going with this, what he wanted to say to her.

"Miranda, believe me when I saw I didn't know about my family or their doings at the time. And neither did he." Sighing, Allen said in a bit of a rush, "My Brother, Tyki, is transferring to this school this Monday. He wanted me to tell you, that he still loves you, even if you don't feel the same."


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I don't own D. Gray-man. I could never have created something as cool as that. **

**A/N: Taking a break. This is a crack pairing and just something to update. Review if you would like me to continue.**

**NOTE!!!!!!!! Updates are going to be slow since my stupid ass siblings just fucked up the computer- AGAIN! Until it crashes, I'll try to update as many stories as possible. I haven't gone writer's block or lost interest or anything. It's just this the only computer I have and my siblings are idiots. Sad to say but it's true.**

**Answers to reviews:**

**f4aw2v: Sorry about that. Kanda… it'll be a while until he finds out.**

**mimicsmaze: Tyki's gonna be in this one. I also have seen a couple of fanart of the two and they're sort of what inspired this chapter. Oh and don't worry. I understood what you wrote.**

**RyosukeofDark: Not really broke it himself as did his family. You'll see later on. And since in the anime Allen has the Fourteen Noah inside him, I decided to make it like a family for this fic. **

**MiranKaya: Thank you so much. I'm glad it's love!  
**

**penns: Tyki is going to be a year ahead of Miranda, since he's older by a year. I'm glad this fic has managed to stir your emotions.**

**Sin Piedad: I'm glad you like it, thank you.**

**celebaelin-san: What a cute name! Does it mean anything? Yep, it's going to be a big fight!**

**MiranKaya: Thank you!**

**Despair-Bringer: Thank you! Yeah, I do type a lot of typos and I apologize for that. I hope you enjoy this chapter. **

**HazelJohnson: I'm glad you're obsessed. And I don't I would ever forget this story with you as my oh so fabulous reader! Thank you!**

"_He wanted me to tell you, that he still loves you, even if you don't feel the same."_

Just how in the world was she supposed to respond to that? Back then, back then… It didn't even look that he cared at all. He had let her leave, her hands gripped to her chest, saying not one word to her. And yet… And yet…

"_He wanted me to tell you, that he still loves you, even if you don't feel the same"_

Miranda stood from her bed. It was time to find out what was his game. She might not have much experience in poker, but she was determined to learn.

**---**

_Knock. Knock._

"Kanda? Kanda, are you in there?"

Grumbling, the Japanese boy opened the door, scowling severely at the person out the door. Lenalee, however, was not affected, used to such antics by her childhood friend.

Instead, she asked, "Kanda, have you seen Miranda? She promised to help me print some copies before school, but I cant find her anywhere. Did she say anything about going somewhere?"

Awake, Kanda shook his head no. "No. I haven't seen her since Saturday morning." He moved from the door to put on a shirt, really not wanting to take the chance in case any of his fans were awake this early.

"That's really odd," Lenalee continued. "She didn't come with us to trick-or-treating, even though Johnny made her a cute costume. She said it was a stomach ache or something, but I haven't seen her all day Sunday. I'm starting to get worried. Do you think it has something to do with the new transfer student we're getting today? You know, the one who knows her?"

The boy stilled, his hands gripping the cuffs of his shirt. He took deep breaths to calm his anger, then replied icily, "How should I know?"

**---**

"Oh no. What should I do?"

In her haste to find some answers, Miranda had left the dorms and went towards the airport. All she had known was that he was coming today; she didn't really know what time or what station.

Now she was here, a bit lost and confused as to what to do now.

Maybe, maybe she should just go back to school. If she left now, she might make it in time for the first bell. but that would just be running away, and right now she couldn't afford that. Not with him arriving today.

If she was to have a pleasant time at this school, then must get some answers from him.

Right, with that new determination, Miranda began to walk once more.

"Miranda?"

She stopped. Couldn't breathe. Couldn't move a muscle as that sensation returned, making her body quiver with unwanted emotions. Emotions she thought she had forgotten long ago, back when she left him.

Slowly, she was turned, a soft gloved hand underneath her chin, lifting her face. Dark brown eyes that sometimes flashed golden stared into honey brown and she forgot what she was going to say when she met him.

"T-Tyki," she whispered.

Tyki smiled and her heart fluttered with that traitorous feeling. In the years apart, his beauty seemed to grow more. His dark brown hair had grown, tied back with his bangs framing around his face. His skin had darkened a bit, his frame taller than she remembered. His smile was just as dazzling, and it served to quiver her insides.

_Stop it!_ she screamed at herself and took a breath. Then, she demanded, "Tyki, why are you here?"

His smile lessened, but it still had the same effect. "The same reason you are here. After all, the Order Academy is famous for its multiple programs. Though, seeing you again is simply coincidence." He stroke her face gently.

Miranda stepped back from his touch. "Stop it," she whispered. "We are no longer together so you cant just treat me anyway you want."

Tyki sighed, his smile turning to a slight frown. "Of course. I'm sorry. So are you here to take me to the school?"

"Eh?" She looked at him blankly for a moment, as she registered what he said. "Uh, no. I came here to-"

"Mr. Mikk?"

The two of them turned to see a young man of Chinese origin accompanied by a blond, strict looking woman come towards them. Miranda could see the resemblance in the man's face to determine that he was Lenalee's older brother, Komui.

He stopped at the sight here, recognizing her from the uniform. "Ms. Lotto, what are you doing here? Don't you have morning class?" he asked her.

"Uh, y-yes. I-I should be goin-Ah!" Miranda looked up at Tyki grabbed hold of her arm, bringing her close to his side.

"Ms. Lotto is a dear old friend of mine. I had asked her to accompany at airport. It was all last minute, I apologize for it," the young man explained smoothly.

"Uh, sure. No need for apologizes, Mr. Mikk. We will excuse your absence, Ms. Lotto," Komui replied. "Now, shall we go?"

"Yes. We shall." Tyki smiled down at her.

Miranda gave a nervous smile, unable to do nothing but agree. "R-right. Let's."

**---**

There were many things that Miranda wasn't able to do. Coping under pressure was one of them. Especially with the many attention the handsome man at her side was attracting. And it didn't help that Tyki was in the same math program as she.

If she thought the comments she got while being Kanda's partner, it only got worse being the object of Tyki's attention.

"Miranda. Could you do me a favor and tell me how to work this problem again?" he asked, leaning over her short form.

"Uh, T-Tyki? Please don't do that," she begged him quietly, feeling the stares on her back increase with malicious fury.

"Why not? You wont be able to see the problem if I don't sit this way," he pointed out innocently.

She frowned, unable to answer to that. She looked down at the problem and proceeded to explain it. But it was so very distracting with Tyki looking over her shoulder, breathing softly down her neck. She gulped and her words became shaky with nervousness.

"I see. I get it now. Thank you, Miranda." He smiled at her warmly, making her blush red.

"Hey you two! Didn't I say not to damn talk!" Sokkaro yelled at them. "If you want to talk so damn much, then do it in damn detention!"

"But-! I was just helping him!" Miranda protested, nearly standing up.

"I don't want to hear your damn excuses. Detention after school, the both of you. And if you don't shut your freaking mouth, I'll make it for a week!" Sokkaro warned.

Meekly, she closed her lips and sat back down.

"Understood, Professor Sokkaro," Tyki responded and gave her a sly smile. Something in that tone he used told Miranda that shouldn't be alone with him. That it was a very, _very_ bad idea.

She clenched her bandaged hands and bit her lower lip. Why? She wanted to scream. Why do you torment still, mocking the fact that I still have feelings for you?

**---**

"It feels like we haven't seen Miranda for a while," Lavi whined. "It's so boring without her around!"

"I agree," Lenalee nodded. "But what can we do? She has detention with Professor Sokkaro. And we both know how unreasonable he is."

The red head shuddered, memories of past experiences with the raging professor running through his mind. Though he commented, "Here I thought it was all because of that Tyki guy. Not once has he left her alone. It's almost like they're more than partners, y'know?"

"Shh!!!" Lenalee hushed him, risking a glance over where a certain long haired boy sat at a table with Allen, for once not bickering with the English boy. Despite a slight pause, he gave no other indication that he had heard.

Lavi eyed him as well. "Hey, Lenalee. Could someone have two partners? Even in the same grade?" he asked.

"Well, it was requested by Tyki himself," she explained a bit slowly, still watching her eerily calm friend. "Seeing how they were past acquaintances and all."

The chair screeched across the floor as the dark haired youth got up and began to leave the room. Allen, watching him go, gave a loud audible sigh and fell back over his chair in a sign of obvious exhaustion.

"Stupid."

**---**

Working as a maid, Miranda has had plenty of experience being in closed spaces, such as broom closets and storage rooms. She's never felt so uncomfortable before, the instinctive horrible feeling of being so closed in never really bothering her before.

Of course, she have never been in a closed space with _him_ before. Even in their vague relationship before, they were always in open spaces, always giving her the opportunity to leave if she wished. Never did her forced her into anything, never tried to coerce her to his will.

Then again, it always have been said that time changes people.

She peeked to the side, watching as Tyki continued to pile the books on top of the shelves, taking that job as it was too high for her to reach. They had been instructed to pile books for Professor Nyne as Professor Sokkaro's detention. It was taking them nearly an hour, seeing as the beautiful blonde professor had a lot of books for them to stack.

Miranda sighed and continued to place the books the shelf. She really didn't know what to do, these feelings of hers. She didn't come here for romance. All she wanted was the education for a good career, one that would take care of her for the rest of her life. Miranda didn't want to be tied to a man for financial reasons. If the relationship fails, she wanted to be able to take care of herself.

"What's wrong, Miranda? You're so serious."

She eep-ed, the sound being a squeak coming out of her. When had he gotten so close to her? Did it happen when she wasn't paying attention?

Miranda quickly began to stack books faster, turning away. "I don't know what you mean, Tyki," she said.

She stood, frozen, as the man turned her around in his arms. Tyki lifted her chin in his hand, expecting her expression. She swallowed, feeling her face reddened in his gaze.

"You seem feverish. Maybe you should go rest," he suggested. "Don't worry. I'll finish the rest of the books."

"N-no!" Miranda protested. "I really should-"

"What are you doing?"

They both turned, looking at the newcomer. At the person, Miranda gave a gasp.

**A/N: Sorry for the cliffy. But I needed to update something for all of you so here it is. My computer is finally crashing so it'll be a while until the next one. Bye bye!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I don't own D. Gray-Man.**

**A/N: I apologize to all my readers for the long and horrible wait. Unfortunately, my computer has decided to go into early retirement and so until I get a new computer updates will be slow (even more than usual) for all of my stories. No, I haven't stopped writing or anything of the sort. In fact, I'm fill with a bunch of new ideas. Sadly, though, my computer doesn't give a shit. **

**Sorry for the long ass delay. Here's the next chapter of BloodSweet with some nose bleed hotness!**

Should she be glad that it wasn't him? Or should she be incredibly embarrassed at being caught like this, even if nothing had gone on between the two of them?

Who knew how Skyler felt, seeing Miranda being right with the new heartthrob of the Academy? For all the German woman knew, the other girl might have feelings for Tyki as well.

She didn't know. It wasn't like she or any other female besides Lenalee would even attempt a friendship with her.

The solemn girl glanced between the two, at the blushing woman and the aloof man at her side. "Tyki, right?" she asked, and continued without really waiting for a response. "Professor Cross is asking for you. Something about a term paper you promised him."

"Ah, yes. I've nearly forgotten, what with this detention Professor Sokkaro has given us." Tyki nodded at Miranda. "Don't worry about the rest of it. I will come back and finish it. So please, go and rest, Miranda. You look dreadfully pale."

"Ah… yes. Yes, I will," Miranda relented, unable to say anything else.

Tyki reached up, the tips of his fingers lighting stroking the side of her face gently. She flinched at such soft actions, jerking away with a fearful expression. The Portuguese man gained a saddened expression, before giving a rueful smile, walking away. "I believe he is in his office, correct?" he asked Skyler on his way out.

"Yeah. Just knock before you go in. He was in the middle of getting… some, if you know what I mean," she said nonchalantly, unaffected by the words she had just said.

He laughed quietly. "I see. Thanks for the warning," he said, walking off.

"Well, that cares of that. You should follow what he said, go get some rest. You look half dead on your feet," Skyler told Miranda, stretching out her arms. She noticed the woman's staring. "What?"

Miranda jumped, startled. "I… It's just, I…"

"Hmm? Is it that surprising? Are you so much the masochist to want me to cuss you out, to get away from 'my precious Tyki' or otherwise you'll get hurt? Give me a break. Not all of us girls are looking for a ride from in the guys' here pants. In fact, there's even some who enjoy the tender touch of a woman than any man's rough loving."

"E-EH!" She blushed, at what Skyler was saying. "Buh-But then that m-means you're a-a l…" she couldn't even say the word.

The woman laughed, releasing her cool façade as she chuckled. "Oh, you are too cute, Miranda," she said, and then raised her hands. "Don't worry. I may be a lesbian, but I'm not coming on to you. I've already have a beautiful partner for that."**(1)**

"Oh! Y-you're married?" Miranda asked, very surprised.

"Going to be in a month. She wanted a Christmas gig and what my baby wants, my baby gets. Want to see a picture of us?"

"Uh, sure!"

Skyler chuckled again as she pulled out a small leather wallet from her back pocket, flipping it open. Now that Miranda thought about it, Skyler has always acted masculine in the way she moved, acted, and dressed, but not overly so to be singled out as liking the same sex.

Holding out the wallet, Miranda looked at the picture of a happy female couple posing crazily for the camera. Skyler looked so happy as she held close a smaller blonde female.

"She's beautiful," she praised. "She will make a beautiful bride."

"Heh, heh. Thanks, Miranda," Skyler said, putting the wallet away back in her pocket. "Oh, and by the way. The whole scene from before. Even if I wasn't gay, it didn't look like anything was going on between the two of you. Okay, I lied. Maybe there wasn't, but it sure looked like that Tyki guy wanted something to happen. Is he going to be a problem for you? Or are the two of you secretly dating?"

"No… I… we used to but…" Miranda trailed off, absently rubbing one of her wrists, the left one, which throbbed somewhat. She was grateful that the winter uniform had long sleeves and since she had gotten hers a size bigger, it entirely covered her hands. Sometimes she needed to roll them back to do things like write or manual labor, like she had been doing. During this strange conversation, the sleeves had unfurled themselves and now hung down at her sides, engulfing her hands.

"Bad breakup?" Skyler supplied.

"Sort of. More like his family didn't approve."

"Ah, I get what you mean," she said with sincere sympathy. "When I came out, it nearly gave my folks a heart attack. But now, they're mostly over it. They've even decided to help with the wedding, like with supplying the drinks and other stuff. It's not much for the years they rejected me, but it'll do for the meantime. Right?"

"Right," Miranda agreed, nodding her head.

"Well anyways, I really think you should go lay down. If I'm right and I usually am, you got yourself sick from stressing over your ex. Get something to eat and rest. I'll make sure that Tyki keep his word and finishes up," Skyler said, none too subtly pushing the German woman out the door.

"Eh? But I-" She tried to protest but the other woman refused.

"Nope. You're sick and it's his fault. Don't worry. Sometimes what guys need to get the picture is a little suffering. Go on." She pushed Miranda in the general direction of the exit.

"O-okay. I suppose then. I'll see you in class then, Skyler," the German woman relented, bowing her head.

"Yeah. Oh, and Miranda?"

"Yes?" She turned back around.

Skyler gave a genuine smile. "Thanks, for not freaking out about me being gay and all. Most people get weirded out and stuff and I'd really appreciate you acting normal. It really means a lot."

"No… I wasn't really paying attention to such things. I'm sorry." Miranda smiled ruefully.

"Ha ha! Well, that's okay. Thanks anyway." Skyler winked. "Hey. Whenever you feel like giving up on men, give me a shout. I know some gals who would treat you better than any man."

Miranda laughed nervously. "I… I'll see."

The two parted ways, the German woman feeling remarkably better, even if her head was throbbing.

-

"You want me to go where with you, Lavi?" Miranda asked her friend to repeat, her eyes opening in surprise and somewhat apprehension.

"To the mainland. Well, to Wales actually, a few hours from here by boat," the redhead explained. "Then, with another hour's drive to the country and BAM! You and me to the hot springs resort!"

"But… but why?" she insisted to know.

"Aw! Cant you at least sound that you're a little excited, Miranda?" Lavi whined. "Thanksgiving is coming up, so I though it'll be awesome if we took a trip there to relax! I thought you would be happier. I was so looking forward to seeing your happy smile," he added, looking quite dejected.

"Ah!' I'm sorry! I'm sorry! It's just… It's a little too mush. And, we are going to be alone and-"

"What's wrong with that? We're both adults," he pointed out.

"Yes but-"

"Miranda." Suddenly, Lavi was looking at her seriously. "You haven't been yourself lately. It's always a frown on your face, and it seems that you no longer have that smile I know and love. Please, let me make you smile again, as a friend would do to a friend."

"But… Lavi!" Miranda continued to protest, a large blush coating her cheeks. "We have exams the following week and I was planning to use the time to study."

"Then let's make it a study trip!" Lavi said, smiling widely. "Don't worry. I'll tutor you in history while you can tutor me in math. Professor Nyne can be a little tough on her exams and I know Professor Tiedoll's a no pushover on his either. It'll be a win-win!"

"I… I guess," Miranda muttered. She was still sore about that last test they had. She barely passed with a low C.

"Then it's settled. As soon as school lets out on Tuesday, we're off to Tapp's Hot Spring's Resort!" the red head pumped his fist in excitement.

"Eh?!" But Lavi. I haven't agreed!" She tried to change his mind. She didn't agree to go on the trip, just about Professor Nyne's tests.

"Who's going to Tapp's?"

Miranda and Lavi turned as Allen joined their table, sitting in the chair in a slump, looking every inch of him tired.

"Miranda and me are going to Tapp's resort for Thanksgiving week," the red head told his partner, nearly bouncing in his seat with his excitement. "It's a study trip for the two of us!"

"L-Lavi," Miranda protested, very embarrassed.

"Cool. Then you wont mind if I came as well," the white haired boy said, a bit slyly as he openly took some biscuits off of Lavi's plate, earning a glare. "After all, it's not like it's a romantic getaway. I'm sure you don't care if I go with you guys. Right?"

"Y-yes! That'll be great!" Miranda quickly agreed. She would feel much better if Allen went along with them. The English boy had a calming effect on her and makes her feel somewhat secure. It was something that he had, both different and similar to…

"_My Brother, Tyki…"_

She grew quiet at the thought of that man, with the feelings he always brought with him in her heart.

"Fine! Though I had really wanted to be only the two of us, you can come, Allen," Lavi whined childishly. "Stop whining. Hey. Maybe you guys can help with my English paper. It'll even be great, since you guys are college students."

"What you mean is how about we write it for you. Errrhhh! No way!" The red head crossed his arms in an "X" fashion, denying his services while making the sound of a bell from one of those TV shows, like the Price is Right or Family Feud.

"Well, at least help me get started," the boy pouted. "You know I get at a loss on what to write about topics, especially this one we got."

"What's the topic?" Lavi asked.

"'Write about a happy memory from your childhood and how it has affected your ideals today.' It's for Psychology."

"That doesn't sound so bad," Miranda said, trying to cheer the boy up. But really, she shouldn't be one to talk, seeing how the only good memory she had served only to pain her, make her scared of interacting with men.

However, as of late, her phobia hasn't really been plaguing her. She thanked these two boys in front of her for their kindness, helping her through this even though they really had no conscious of it. She truly was thankful, especially to him.

Kanda.

Speaking of which, the stoic young man had been giving her space to cope, even when she hadn't asked him to leave her alone for a while. She really owed Kanda something for his kindness. Maybe a souvenir?

"Eh? Wha-What's wrong, Allen? Why did you grow so gloomy?" the German woman exclaimed, becoming near hysterical at the English boy's sudden change in mood.

"Ah, sweet, naïve, Miranda," Lavi cooed. "Your innocence always makes me feel warm inside."

"Eh? What do you mean by that, Lavi? Allen!" she cried out in distress, as she could nearly envision a huge boulder resting on the boy's shoulders. Really, while Lavi only grinned and Allen began to laugh sadistically.

"Ha, ha," he chuckled. "What an innocent mind you have, Miranda."

"But… It's your childhood! Surely there would be a lot you can write about," the German woman insisted with a worried tone. She nearly screamed in alarm, looking between the two partners for any indication to what she had done wrong. "Did I say something wrong?" she asked the two of them.

"Huh? Oh no! it's nothing like that," Lavi assured her. "Allen gets like that when someone even mentions a word pertaining to his past, like 'childhood' or simply 'past' ."

"Is it that horrible?" she nearly squeaked, feeling quite horrible herself. How could she say such heartless words. She had already been told that Allen had led a somewhat hard live; his father died and he had probably been passed around from relative to relative before being officially adopted by Cross. How cruel of her to bring up such memories!

"Let's just say Cross isn't the best father figure around," the red head continued. "Really. It's nothing to fuss over. It's something like a daily occurrence with him. You just tend to get used it."

"That's… really not something you should," Miranda said, returning her attention to Allen. "Uh, Allen. If it's alright, I'll help you with your paper."

"Miranda, you're the best!" Allen sprung out of his stupor, hugging her fiercely. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

"Uh-Uh-Of course…! You're welcome," she mumbled, her cheeks heating greatly.

"Alright, you can come, seeing how Miranda is going to be helping you," Lavi said, a bit sulking-ly. "But don't go and pack Jerry's whole kitchen. We're planning to eat over there."

"Fine," Allen relented, finally letting go of his blushing fried.

Miranda was still flustered. Realizing that she had just agreed to go on a trip with two men, alone, she was beginning to feel a little faint. Especially when they were two very, _very _attractive men. She was suddenly glad only the chess team was eating lunch right now. If any of the girls found out…

"_What makes_ **you**_ think that _**you are**___even _**worthy**_ of dating my Uncle?"_ The scorn could be heard on every word, especially emphasizing on the words referring to her. _"You are _**plain, pathetic.** _There is nothing about you _**worth **_to even _**like.**_ maybe, if you withstand a little game with me, I might accept you. That's right. One. Little. Game." _A sharp pointed candle had been lifted as a maniacal grin formed on the pretty girl's face.

"_**Are you ready?"**_

"Miranda?" Noticing the sudden paleness the young woman's face suddenly retained, Lavi put a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay? Do you feel sick again?"

Hastily, she stood. "I'm sorry! I just remembered a paper I must do for tomorrow! Excuse me!" She nearly ran from the cafeteria, her walk so fast and filled with desperation that her cover story could be somewhat believable.

The two boys looked after her, before Allen gave a sullen look to Lavi.

"What?" the red head asked, sounding too innocent to be trusted.

"I appreciate what you are trying to do, really, trying to give Miranda a day to relax away from the Order, but did you really have to choose Tapp's place?"

"What's wrong with Tapp's? It's the best there is in hot springs getaway."

"I agree with you on that," he said. "What I mean is did you choose it for the sights or the fact that that's the same place Kanda's going with his team this weekend? As part of the prize package they won at the tournament."

"Oh really? They're going this weekend? Why, this is the first I'm hearing of it," Lavi said, looking genuinely surprised.

"Lavi…" The English boy didn't look the bit convinced.

"Hmm…?" He shrugged, his face twitching as he tried to contain his mischievous expression. "Hey. Don't be blaming me. She's losing weight, Allen, and it's barely been at least two weeks. Also, if you haven't noticed, she's been deathly afraid of us. Even Kro-chan scares the crap out of her and we all know that guy is a big teddy bear. Especially to girls. Makes me wonder how he landed that hot girlfriend of his." He trailed off, and at Allen's glare, cleared his throat and continued. "It's all because of that 'Brother' or 'Cousin' or whatever you guys are. I just want her to relax again and go back smiling the way she used to. If that means ruining Yu's weekend, so be it. He has to take one for the team, beansprout."

"It's _Allen," _the white haired boy growled and in retaliation, swiped another biscuit off of Lavi's plate, even though he had Miranda's uneaten plate in front of him. "And Kanda's has to be crazy if he gets mad at finding us there. I know the way he looks at her. He cares, even if he denies it." His look deepens as he chewed thoughtfully on the bread. "I promised I would protect her from my family, even if it means betraying him," he whispered softly. "She may not have known me then, but I could never forget. If Kanda is the key to fix what Road did, then so be it. I don't ever want to see Miranda like that ever again. I swear it."

"You and me both, buddy," Lavi agreed, letting this newest theft slide. "If something can be so traumatizing as to wipe part of her memory, then it's worth protecting the person from further harm."

"Yeah. And I won't let family stop me."

"Careful. Don't give Tyki cause to _delete _you again, Allen."

-

The resort was actually further within the mainland, towards the mountain range and more then the hour's drive Lavi had promised.

They had left around noon, the time usually when Miranda and Lavi finished their last class for the day. Then, Lavi bailed out his high school partner, which ends later on in the day. They took the small ferry which took them towards the British Isles and Scotland, landing on land three hours later, then entered a jeep which Lavi drove over rocky and grassy terrain of farmland into the mountains. It was all very beautiful and had a relaxing feel to it, something Miranda hasn't felt in a while.

They arrived roughly around five, with the sun setting and heavy clouds already forming ominously over head. The place was pretty and looked welcoming with the warm glow peering from the closed windows, with an Eastern feel to it. It looked like a place one would see out of a manga or anime.

The door opened and out came a large black man with a scarf coving his eyes and holding up his dark, spiky hair, dressed warmly for the chilly air out side. As the day deepened to night, the temperature began to drop.

He waved at the three in a welcoming manner as they came near to meet him. "Lavi! Allen! It's been a while," the man greeted them. Moving his head in her direction, he inquired politely, "And I believe you are Miss Miranda Lotto, correct? The boys told me about you. It's nice to meet you at last."

"Ah, yes! Me, too," Miranda said, bowing quickly. "N-nice to meet you as well, Mister…?"

"Just Tapp with out the Mister. It makes me feel old and I'm only twenty-three," Tapp said, giving a friendly smile that looked comically on his big lips. Miranda found it easy to return one of her own. "Come. Y'all must feel tired from the trip. I know it's a longs way from the Black Order Academy. My sister Dopp just went to do last minute preparations for your rooms. We don't have a full house, just a couple of other kids from your school. We'll be pretty full by tomorrow. But we managed to score a few good rooms for y'all so don't worry. This way."

He took hold of Miranda's bag, which was a single overnight bag packed to the brim with her pajamas, a single outfit, and necessities, she having planned to just wear that clothes and the one she was wearing the whole trip. He led them inside the inn.

"Ah! Please!" she protested as she followed. "You don't need to do that, M- I mean, Tapp. I-I can carry my own bag."

"Nonsense! You're a guest," Tapp said, refusing to hand it over. "I can't let you hand your own luggage. That'll be rude and insulting to my abilities of a host."

"Hey! We're guests too and you aren't carrying ours!" Lavi protested, holding his own bag out.

"You guys are family and family is expected to look after themselves," the fat man replied. "Besides, Sis is still mad at the two of you, your master, and the other guy for what happened last time and the mess you guys left her with."**(1)**

"Ulp!" Both boys cringed with visible fear, the red head shutting up. It distracted Miranda from her bag as she wondered what mischief the boys could have does to cause such anger. Form how Tapp made it sound, the two were in big trouble with this Dopp.

Her thoughts were interrupted by whoops, sounds of cheer that came from the distance several rooms away.

"Those are our other guests," Tapp explained. "They are enjoying their big win so things might get a little rowdy around here. Though be careful, Miranda." He told the young woman. "Until tomorrow, you're the only female resident we got. Stay away from the drunkards till then."

"Eh?!" Miranda jumped. "Only me?"

"Don't worry, Miranda. The baths are segregated into male and female," Lavi assured her quickly. "So besides Tapp's lovely sister, you'll be the only one to use the female springs today."

"Flattery isn't going to win you or your friend anything, Lavi Bookman, Allen Walker."

"Hey, Sis," Tapp greeted, smiling at his sister fondly.

To say the least, the boys' expressions were very amusing. A bizarre mixture of 'glad to see you' and 'oh god, no!'

"H-Hi there, Dopp. Good to see you."

Dopp was a near mirror image of her brother, though where his hair was spiky and short, hers was long and dreadlock fashion. Side by side, they appeared to be almost identical twins with the same fashion –scarf over their foreheads and shadowing their eyes- despite their sex and height (Dopp was a little taller).

Dopp glanced at each boy with a clear warning in her eyes. "Stay away from the women besides your friend and only when she wants you to," she told Lavi sternly, "and conserve your damn appetite. I don't want a shortage like last time." The last was directed to Allen, who nodded quickly. "I already warned the other fool, but the two of you are to stay away from the saké, you hear? Y'all simply can't be trusted when y'all are drunk. Capisché?"

"Yes, ma'am!" The two quickly agreed.

She looked around. "The crazy cook didn't come with y'all this time? Good. Keep a close eye on them boys, miss. They'll be a handful," she told Miranda as she passed her by. "See y'all at dinner."

"Uh, yes! I will!" Miranda promised and nodded her head.

As his sister went around the corner, Tapp turned to his guests, not even hiding his wide, amused grin. "Shall we?"

-

Since Miranda was the only female guest, she had been given a single suite furthers from the rest and nearest to the springs. Lavi and Allen had separate rooms down the hall, close, but not too close. While privacy was maintained, the two siblings preferred not to have that sort of business occurring within their inn.

Her suite was a large space, consisting of an oriental setting: rice paper doors that slide open and close; an extravagant bathroom with both tub and shower; a marble vanity; drawers for her to put any clothes and a large open closet as well; a spread futon on the floor for her to sleep on; and at last, a full length mirror that was past her height, for her to see herself while trying on clothes. There was also a balcony that opened to a great view outside of the mountains. However, the window doors were drawn closed, due to the chilly wind and weather and the fact it had begun to snow lightly, an early winter in the mountains.

On the futon, folded neatly were two different outfits: a gray, feminine yukata for her to wear after her bath in the springs, and the other a beautiful kimono and obi. From what she could see (she didn't want to unfold it in case she ruined it), it was a pale red kimono, with white lacing and sewn cranes taking flight surrounded by autumn leaves.

There was a note addressed to her on top of the kimono. Miranda opened it and read:

"_Hey Miranda,_

_I got this for you when Lavi made the plans for this trip. There's a festival that's going to happen in the village and I would be happy if you joined us. Let's wow these simple mountain folk with our out of place clothes!_

_Ps. If you need help putting it on, ask Dopp. She knows how._

_Allen_

A blush filled her face as did an amused smile. Really, the trip should have been enough to give her and then Allen had to go and do this. It was really too much and she really appreciated everything.

Truly, she needed to repay them one day, for all the kindness they showed her.

Knock! Knock!

"Y-yes?" Miranda called out, putting the note in her pocket.

"Hey, it's us. We're going to take a bath in the springs right now. Wanna join us?" Lavi asked through the wooden door.

"Uh, in a moment, please. I haven't settled yet," she replied.

"'Kay then. We'll see there afterwards. Don't get lost, Miranda."

"I-I will try."

She listened to the two boys walking away, Allen discussing on what their hosts will make for them to eat. Something about giant crab or lobster and how last time he remembered it was delicious, even if he couldn't remember what else happened. She smiled at the English boy's typical choice of conversation topics.

Then, she began to get ready for her bath, taking off her clothes and folding them nicely.

--

Why was she getting the feeling that Lavi might have jinxed her a bit?

Poor Miranda was lost, lost, lost! She must have taken a wrong turn somewhere back, when she had been distracted by the pretty painting on the wall. She nearly wrung her hair in distress, as she turned in a circle in an attempt to find her way out.

"Oh, why me?" she nearly moaned, gritting her teeth

"You lost, girl?"

"Ah!" Miranda jumped in the air, turning to face Dopp, who wore an amused expression on her face.

"O-oh. It's you, Miss Dopp," she whispered, sounding so happy to se the large woman.

"Yep. But just big ol' Dopp though. I don't want any of this 'Miss,' business," she said, coming closer. "You looking for the springs?"

"Uh, yes. Yes, I am."

Dopp pointed to a door behind her. "It's right there, sweetie," she said.

"Oh!" Miranda turned, looking a little sheepishly. Probably because it looked familiar, seeing how she had passed by it a couple of times. "Oh. I-I see." She turned back around and bowed low. "Thank you very much, M-I mean, Dopp."

Dopp shook her head. "Naw, it's nothing. This place can get confusing if you don't know your way. You need more help, just holler. I'll hear ya," she said, walking away with some blankets draped over her shoulder.

Miranda watched her go, before entering the rooms indicated.

Inside opened into a steamy locker room, with a basket full of already used towels on one side and fresh ones stacked to the side, showing that some people had already went in the baths at least once today. Two pathways separated, each with a gender indicating sign of which was which. Of course, it was expected, since her misadventures probably had cost her some time. Perhaps Lavi and Allen had already went inside and left already. They were probably enjoying the company of the other residents, perhaps even having dinner.

It filled her with some indecision, whether or not to go inside or to just go find the boys. Sighing, she decided to stay, figuring it would be rude to Dopp if she didn't go, seeing how she kindly helped the young woman.

Miranda removed her robe, the blue-gray that looked sort of plain and dull. , folding it neatly and placing it in one of the lockers. She removed her sandals, put them inside as well, and closed it. Then she pinned up her hair, realizing how long it was getting. It became unruly due to the steam and humidity inside that came from the springs. She took a fresh towel and wrapped around herself, tying it securely. Then, she went outside to the hot springs.

It was breathtaking. The German woman had to remind herself to breath, awestruck as she was. It was beautiful, natural, warm water simmering in a rocky setting, with overhanging oolong trees that still had most of their leaves. They overshadowed each of the springs, nearly dipping into the water. A waterfall poured fresh water into the middle one, and several canals ran throughout, interlinking the springs together.

Fresh flowers floated in the water, drifting idly in its stream. Really, everything was aimed to relax a person and already Miranda felt her shoulder droop. She hasn't even gotten in yet!

Smiling happily, Miranda climbed in.

--

"Aren't you going to take a soak, Yu?"

Kanda gave a loud, annoyed growl at the red head currently in his face. "No. Not with you idiots already defiling the water," he said rudely, crossing his arms in a silent display of anger.

God, he should have known. Should. Have. Fucking. Known. Should have seen it coming. Hell, the stupid rabbit had been dropping hints the past few days. But between the hints and his friend's annoying and not so subtle antics for him to go after Miranda and console her for whatever reason. But what they didn't -or couldn't- understand that the woman was like him, that all she needed was her space and Kanda had given it to her willingly. He could understand the need to keep things inside. He had things he wanted to keep secret, and so if Miranda wanted to keep quiet about her business with Tyki, he would let her.

Again, Kanda told himself that the reason he was feeling angry was because he was annoyed, not for anything else.

He didn't like the newcomer. He seemed too nice, a bit fake for Kanda's liking, too eager to please everyone. And he didn't like the fact that he was causing Miranda grief, forcing her to accept another partner because they were 'friends'. One look at them and he could see there was anything but friendship between the two of them.

Kanda hated the man for it.

'_As if I don't have enough trouble, these idiots just happen to show up,' _he though sourly, openly glaring at the white haired English boy who was talking to several kendo members about something or another.

"You know," Lavi, another nuisance, pointed out. "According to what Tapp said earlier, they wont be getting any female guests until tomorrow. So the female bath is empty right now. If you don't feel comfortable using the men's, you could use those."

The dark haired boy gritted his teeth, but he was listening. Actually, he did want to go in the hot springs, but weird things tend to happen whenever he was around these fools. Only, it wasn't going to be bad as last time, with Professor Cross Marian joining them on the 'fun'. That was the main reason they got in so much trouble, especially when he introduced them to a little friend of his called alcohol.

Kanda was still shuddering, wanting so much to know exactly what happened that night. Of course, the fact he had woken up beside an attractive woman wearing nothing but a Santa's hat and a collar with a small bell around his neck gave a few clues. Still, it wasn't something he wanted repeated and so refrained himself from joining the group, afraid that Cross's taint might lead them into something more.

He already got warned by Dopp. He didn't want to risk any more of the woman's ire, so scary she was when she got mad.

Lavi knew he had the Japanese boy in his grasp and continued to convince as somberly as he could with the poker face he was famous for, though what he really wanted was to squeal like a girl. Really, it was so much fun just to mess with the guy, what with his childish demeanor and the tendency to believe everything people tells him as long as it was believable. Kanda was extremely fun to mess with, even at the cost of several severed limbs.

'_I'm doing this for you, buddy,'_ he thought quietly. "You wont even be missed, buddy. I'll make up something good and very time consuming, or I can have Allen distract your men with some cheap card tricks or something. Hell, this could be an opportunity to make some money that Cross owes."

"Don't. These idiots are as bad as Cross. They can't afford to loose anything more."

Kanda stood.

"So you're going?" Lavi asked, congratulating himself for keeping a straight face this long.

His grumpy friend grunted. "Yeah. I'll go."

--

The water was so relaxing, she wanted to stay in its depths all night. Miranda stretched, rubbing her back lightly against one of the rocks. It gave a somewhat relaxing motion, a sort of massage that soothed her tensed muscles. It felt so good, it nearly turned her body to mush.

She giggled.

She really was going to have to thank Lavi for this. Miranda hadn't experienced this sort of feeling in a very long while. Her memories were fuzzy as she tried to think of a when, but she had the feeling that it had been a very long while.

Miranda shook her head to dispel these thoughts. Right now was not the time to think such gloomy things. She took off her towel and placed it in an overhang shaped within the rock. . Then she dunk below the water.

The water was murky with salt and crumble minerals that made up the water's properties. Miranda blinked her eyes in an attempt to look through, but to no avail. Then she broke the surface, taking a deep breath to refill her lungs. She wasn't that much of a swimmer, so she didn't have the lung capacity needed to hold her breath for very long. But she enjoyed swimming underwater, liked the tiny adventurous feeling it gave her. The water trailing through her hair, the way it felt like almost flying.

It was an amazing sensation.

Miranda dove back in, this time following the streams that intertwine between each large bowl of water. They were large and full to waist high with water. The bottom had rocks that emitted a thermal heat that warmed the water to a comfortable degree. She stopped about midway and admired the view of it, of this peaceful place.

A splash of someone joining her in the springs got her attention, making her jump and nearly let out a yelp. Miranda instinctively hide herself, even though this was the female bath. Still, female or even by herself, she didn't like showing off her bare body, was actually quite embarrassed by it. Especially when she couldn't help but compare herself to other woman.

She wasn't slender, but curvy, a petite size of fullness and soft, creamy skin. She wasn't fat, but couldn't help but think she was, even if she was a bit on the thin size.

There was a sigh of contentment coming from the newcomer, a sound of pure relaxation. Obviously, the woman thought she was alone and any chance of escaping quietly was lost, seeing how it came from the middle spring, which happen to be next to the locker rooms' exist and had a clear view of everything, even with the steam rising. Besides, her towel was still on that rock. She couldn't go out of the water naked or go into the locker rooms so wet. She might fall or something and she definitely did not want to flash the woman, whose only mistake was being in the springs with her at this moment.

Feeling uneasy, Miranda called out, "E-excuse me, ma'am? I… need to get my towel and -and it's right there where you are. I-I am not a peeper or anything. Just another guest of the inn. I-I'm harmless." Miranda inched towards the middle, going alongside the rocks to provide some cover. "O-okay. I'll admit that sounds… That sounds suspicious but really! I'm telling the truth and…"

There was an answering splash of water, as the woman moved a little farther away from her. She felt so relieved that she did, even as her face blushed red because of this embarrassing situation.

'_I should have known,'_ she moaned quietly in her mind. These types of things always have to happen to her!

Typical Bad Luck Miranda!

"I'm-I'm just getting my towel now," she informed the woman, reaching out to grab her towel, hanging on that rock a little far away, a hand's reach. Wanting to get this over with, Miranda gripped the cloth material and jerked it off the overhang of rock. "I-I got them! I'll be going n-"

Her foot tripped on the rocky floor, falling forward in the pool. Quickly, the woman grabbed her by the waist, pulling her back to a flat chest and kept her from falling face first into the water.

Both panted heavily, Miranda clutching the towel to her chest while the woman kept a strong arm around her waist. She held her so close that the rough texture of her towel brushed against Miranda's lower back.

"Th-thank yo-" Miranda stiffened as the situation suddenly registered in her mind.

Flat chest. Towel at the waist. And finally, the strong, muscled arm that held upright.

That could only mean one thing, she thought as she hesitatingly turned her face around.

Kanda looked down peevishly at her, with a red flush covering his cheeks. "Does a day ever pass with out you trying to kill yourself?" he asked, mildly peeved.

She couldn't help it. She screamed.

"Hey! Miranda, it's me! Quiet! You don't want Dopp to come down here!" the dark haired man tried to shush her, which was extremely hard with her flailing her arms about.

"Wha- are you- Here- Ghost! It's a ghost!" Miranda shrieked hysterically, trying to get him away from her.

"No I'm not!" he barked at her, looking between this crazy woman and the locker room entrance, hoping to God that Dopp wasn't coming. Tapp was okay to deal with, but his older sister was simply another matter. She was scary as fuck when she got mad and, he had to admit, very intimidating. Combined with her height and girth, you had a formidable monster on your hands.

Not wanting a repeat from last time, Kanda did what he needed to shut his partner up. He pulled her to him, their bodies flushed against each other and veered her mouth with his.

It was meant to shut her up and it did, quite effectively.

But the other effect was unexpected.

The feel of her soft body, with its lush curves and her full, somewhat large breasts pressed against his chest, it affected him in different, highly inappropriate places. Hell, even the feel of her sweet mouth, molded to his own, was enough to turn him on immensely and suddenly, the towel was too restricting and too revealing. He didn't want her to see, to feel how much she affected him.

Quickly, Kanda let her go, parting the kiss almost with some reluctance. Though his tongue did take one last taste, licking her lips as they parted.

"Enough, okay," he said, quite sternly. "I'm not going to hurt you."

Miranda's face was so red, whether from the heat of the water or her own embarrassment. Probably both, since her eyes rolled back in her head and she fainted.

**(1) Skyler is actually based on a good friend of mine, who recently got married to her special someone. Good luck to the both of them!**

**A/N: Gotta love that sneaky Lavi! Review please and I'll try to get the next one out as quickly.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

_A week ago…_

"_Are you serious, Tyki?" Allen demanded from his older Brother, rage shining clear in his usually kind gray eyes. "Or are you doing this as a sick joke for Road?"_

"_I don't know what you are talking about," the Portuguese man said coolly, replacing a textbook on the bookshelf. "I am here to further my education simply because the Duke has ordered it so. As you know, the Order is famous fro its multiple mathematics programs. Or do I need to remind you, Musician?"_

"_Do _**not **_call me that!" the English boy growled, his eyes near glowing the same gold that shone in Tyki's eyes. "I haven't given the chance to become _**that **_again. I'm taking my meds."_

"_A shame, it seems," Tyki mused over a new book, surveying its pages. "Road absolutely loves your work. Or that of your other personality."_

_As intended, "Walker's" facial expression turned stricken with horror and self-disgust. "I cannot make excuses," he said quietly. "I… I should have known, when Road had assigned herself as my nurse, even when it was clear she liked me without my medicine. Everything I had done that night, I wish it was done to me twice fold. Hell, I wished you were more creative with your revenge, Brother."_

_Snapping the book shut, Tyki gave him a pensive glare. "And then Mana spirited you away, only to drop dead a few months later. Tell me, _Allen, _how much has the womanizer Cross influenced you? Do you wish to have another go? Is that why you gained her good graces, because she doesn't have the full memory to recognize the bastard who nailed her hands to her own damn clock?"_**(1)**

_A crash, one that shook the shelves and sent several books tumbling down to the ground. Allen removed his fist from the crater in the wall with much more calm than when he planted it in there._

"_That won't happen again," he swore. "I'll protect Miranda, from our family, from you, and even from my own fucked up self. I'll mend the past, and give her the happiness she deserves."_

"_You sound as if you're saying you are willing to betray our family," Tyki said, with much interest. "That can get you killed, a far worse punishment than what I did with Tease. The Duke might even take it personal."_

_Remembering his Brother's psychotic pets and the intimidating leader of their questionable family, Allen gave a grim smile. "She's not your woman anymore, Tyki," he pointed out, very well aware of the danger. "That means anyone is entitled to die for her."_

--

One thing for sure, Miranda _did not _want to open her eyes.

She knew for a fact where she would find herself. Not in her bed, in her assigned room. No, she doubted that the covers would feel this soft against her bare skin, or how she felt well rested from the fitful sleep she had.

No, she doubted she would feel any of that in her own, plain bed. Not to say anything against Tapp's and Dopp's management. Rather, this was more on a psychological field of mind. But that didn't change her surroundings or the embarrassment she dreaded to face.

Especially since she was aware that she was naked and _dry _underneath these sheets.

Miranda peeked out from the covers, her curiosity getting the better of her as she strained to see the room. Surprisingly, yet not so, the room was quite plain and mostly empty. There was the futon on the floor she laid on, the dresser that probably housed the basic needs; a single painting on the wall, depicting a peaceful scene of cherry blossoms blooming; two sliding doors that probably opened to the courtyard or some place, telling the young woman that this room was on the first floor.

Not much of a difference from his room in the Order, just as she thought.

A door slid open somewhere outside the room and Miranda heard the quiet yet steady footsteps she knew so well. She returned the covers over her face and waited, trying her best to act as if she were still asleep. There was some shuffling, like if he was rubbing a towel against those long, blue black locks of his to dry the strands. A sigh and then a moistened towel being dropped to the floor.

"I know you're awake."

With those simple words, Miranda swore her heart stopped for a moment. Emitting a low squeak, she curled into a fetal position, hoping that she was fully covered and thankful that the covers were so thick that they obscured her figure.

Kanda, who watched her from the corner of his eye, resisted the urge to groan. If she was going to act difficult, it will spell trouble. Mainly for him, since Dopp's view of him had changed during that fateful Christmas Break when they, he, Allen, and Lavi, mistakenly allowed the not-to-be-trusted Cross come along on their trip to the hot springs. He had brought along with him a lot of liquor and games of where to drink them.

To this day, he didn't what was worse: not knowing what happened after he took that first sip or the fact that Cross had been totally unaffected and done who knows what to them. The red haired man wouldn't say, only would demand money for the knowledge. Kanda still believed the con man had drugged their drinks to gain such power over them.

He went over to the drawers, opening one to take out a clean white shirt. Putting it on, he motioned in her direction without peeking over, knowing that she was watching him.

"I'm going to toss you a shirt. You can put that on until I can get you something better from your room. Got it? I want you not to freak out on me."

"A-alright, Kanda." Shuffling inside the covers, Miranda held out a hand to grab the shirt as he tossed it to her.

He did so, trying to not look anywhere else but her outstretched hand. Despite her intention, Kanda could peek inside the shadows, could make out several distinct features of her body. It stirred his being and he felt a hunger he usually could ignore.

It was an annoyance and worse, it was a distraction he can not afford. Not when he had another matter on his mind…

"Kanda, I-I'm done."

Kanda stopped himself before he turned, knowing that it would just be a repeat of Halloween. She was shorter than him, so it was natural that the shirt would be long on her. But at least last time, she had _underwear _on.

He was sure that, if something drops, Miranda will just bend on over and pick it up.

That image did not help. Clearing his throat, he also grabbed a large, fresh towel. "Put this around you. It's a bit cold in the hallways."

Miranda took it as well and he nearly kissed her for not dropping it. Again, the reminder was not helping and he nearly smacked himself to get his mind out of the gutter. For once, he was glad his _hakama _pants were a little baggy. It helped hide his little predicament at the moment.

"Where's your room?" Kanda asked.

"On the second floor, two doors down… I think," Miranda answered a bit uncertainly, trying to remember correctly for his sake. "The-the number was in my robe…" A cute blush covered her cheeks and she began to tremble a little, either from the cold or what happened, she wasn't quite sure.

To be honest, she wanted to ask. Ask why did he do such a thing? If it was to shut her up, she understood but… What happened at the end, the look on his face, it was enough to make her feel faint again.

She was inexperienced; the memories of the time with Tyki were sweet but innocent. He never pressed her and she never encouraged him, insecure by her lanky appearance and his own beauty. But she knew the look of raw hunger, of a great desire for that person. She saw it in Tyki's eyes whenever he thought she didn't notice him gazing at her. She saw it and thought it a mistake.

Now, she had seen the same exact look on Kanda's face.

Kanda moved to one of the chairs, where Miranda noticed her robe somewhat spread. There was several splotches of moisture that suggested it had been put there to dry. When she looked up, she saw it had been specifically put underneath the airshaft, where warm air continued to flow inside. He picked it up and searched its pockets, pulling out a key with a tag on it.

"You were right," he said, putting the robe back.

They stood there for a moment, awkwardly avoiding the other's eyes. It was a moment of indecision on Kanda's part, while Miranda was simply trying not to look at him period.

If she did, she knew she would see that expression again, be fixated only on that memory. It kept the hot blush on her cheeks.

"I don't think you want to walk with me to your room," Kanda began, trifling through his memory of the place. "The nearest stairs is past the common room and last I check ,the guys were still there. It's not a good idea for the both of us for you to come with me."

"Yes. I'm indecent and…" she agreed, but couldn't add anything else. The heat spread from her cheeks, down her neck and stopped above her breasts. She welcomed the opportunity to faint at any moment.

Kanda dodged his gaze away from the enticing display. The word "cute" reverberated through his mind, muddling his thought process. Finally, he punched himself on the arm, startling Miranda as the forceful blow finally gave him the stability he had needed.

"I'll go on ahead and get you the proper attire," Kanda offered, saying nothing of the recent scene. "Do you have anything in mind that you want to wear?"

It took a while for her to gather her own thoughts, still startled by the recent self-abuse. "Th-there's a robe, I think Dopp called it a yukata, that I'm supposed to wear after I go in the hot springs. I'd left it on my bed."

He nodded and walked toward the door. "Stay here. I wont be long," he said, and left, closing the door gently behind him.

Miranda dropped to the floor as her legs gave out from under her. Her heart continued to flutter excitably, even after his presence was gone.

"I'm just embarrassed," she assured herself. "There's no way I could… right?"

---

Kanda walked through the chilly hallways dressed only in his loose-fitted shirt and jeans, barefooted, fresh from an equally chilly shower. So it was easy to blame the goose bumps and shivers from the cold.

The festivities in the common room were still going strong, if a little rowdy. Somehow, he knew some of his team members smuggled liquor on to this trip, despite being underage and the penalty should they be caught.

"Those idiots," he muttered, the irritation driving away his unwanted desire for the woman he had left behind in his room.

He walked past the doorway, momentarily looking in.

The game had changed drastically since he left. No longer was it a simple game of cards. It had evolved into a bizarre stage of strip poker and by the looks of it, the bean sprout was winning.

"ONE MORE CALL!" the members of the kendo team called out, their words slurred with drink and anger and their partial state of dress was, though comical, not the best sight.

"Alright then," Allen shrugged, shuffling a new game.

There was no way anyone there would win against him. Allen had to learn from the best in order to survive or die starving. Cross had been a cruel parent and would take the boy's earnings to go out on the lam.

"Oi! It's Yu! What's up, buddy?"

Too late, Lavi had spotted him and the red head reached out and tugged on the Japanese boy's arm. "Come in! We're just starting a new game of sudden death!"

Gritting his teeth, Kanda pulled back his arm. "I don't play games," he growled, moving back to the hallway.

"Come on, buddy! Just one game?" Lavi whine, wrapping his arms around one leg. "Please, Yu! Or do you have someone else to do?"

"Don't call me that!" Kanda dragged him off and pushed him aside, angry. "I'm busy to hang out with the likes of you." He ignored Lavi's slip, figuring the red head was just tipsy and slurring his words like the others. "I'm going."

"Oh, if you're going that way, can you go find Miranda?" Lavi asked, noticing the direction he was going. "I think she got herself lost again."

The dark haired boy stilled noticeably, but nodded. "Fine. I'll keep an eye out for her."

Watching him go up the stairs, Lavi couldn't stop his grin, glad that the boy's back was turned lest he get smacked. By the looks of it, something had indeed happened. He wondered for a moment about the exact details, but decided it could wait until the morning. Lavi didn't want to embarrass Miranda more than what she must already be feeling and this new game Allen was playing with the kendo team looked too interesting to miss.

--

_Knock. Knock._

"Y-yes?" Miranda called out, rising from the chair.

"It's me. I'm coming in."

The door opened and admitted Kanda. He looked both tired and annoyed, as if he had encountered something both displeasing and exhausting.

She hoped it wasn't because of the trek to her room. Had he found something in there that made him feel so irritated?

"Is there something wrong, Kanda?" she asked, coming close beside him.

"Lavi." Kanda said the name as it explained everything.

But still, Miranda asked, "What about Lavi?"

"He's annoying."

Kanda held up her bundled kimono in the same way Dopp had folded it in when she gave it to her. "It's this one, right? Here."

"Ah yes!" Miranda took the offered clothing quickly off his hands.

Silence.

They stood there with no real idea of what to do next. Awkward was too weak of a word to describe it. This was more of being aware of the other person in the room fully, a realization that they were both a very attractive male and female. With one of them already being partially naked.

Miranda stepped back, looking somewhat frightened. "U-um?" she tried to speak, swallowed numerous times to try and moisten her throat.

"The bathroom's there." Kanda pointed. "Use it."

"Ri-right!" Quickly she moved towards the door of the bathroom. Before she went inside, Miranda turned back.

"Um, Kanda?"

He looked startled for a moment, having not expected this action. "Yeah?"

Miranda smiled warmly in gratitude. "Thank you. For always being so gentle with me." She went inside and the door closed softly behind her.

Gentle. Him, gentle? That was not a word usually associated with him. He was more of a cruel person. Alma would certainly agree.

Angry at the direction of his thoughts, Kanda moved to the window.

The snow was still falling, though not as desperately as it began. It formed piles of the white stuff like miniature dunes. The sky was still gray, clouds heavy with the promise of more precipitation to come. It matched his mood.

He wanted to ask.

Kanda wanted to ask Miranda about the scars on her hands, the only imperfections he saw on her body.

It wasn't his first time seeing them. The young woman dropped her guard around him when she would be more intent on hiding her hands than the conversation itself. It seemed like a distinctive action, one that she was used to doing for a long time.

The scars themselves could be classified as hideous. They were small ridges in a circular shape, as if something had been impaled through her palms.

A burning sensation filled his chest, one Kanda recognized as anger. Miranda was clumsy. He knew that already. But she wasn't so must as a ditz to actually fall and stab both hands at the same time, from the looks of the age and wear of the skin. Otherwise, the scars would be more ragged, because of the awkwardness of falling would create more tearing of the flash and increase the chance of her never using her hands again.

No, this was the work of someone. Someone cruel, with no remorse or empathy to a woman's shedding tears. That person would be too intent on causing the pain, infatuated with her cries and screams to even think to stop the torture.

His fingers twitched and the familiar urge to slice the black katana into warm flesh returned. Mugen wasn't here. The weapon had to stay in his homeland of Japan, as was ordered on his probation. Kanda had been lucky to even keep the weapon, seeing how it had been part of that incident.

Looking at the snow, Kanda was reminded of the woman changing in the bathroom. She was like the snow, he thought. She was pure, and easily tainted. He smiled wryly, opening the sliding door and got hit by a cold gust of wind.

Yes, he knew Miranda could be easily broken. Which is why he felt the need to protect her.

Behind him, the door of the bathroom opened and Miranda gave a yelp as the frost air blew at her. "K-Kanda?" Her teeth chatted loudly as her body began to tremble.

Silently, Kanda slid the door closed. "Sorry. I needed the fresh air," he explained, feeling his body calm down. The anger was still there, but now it was hidden by his mask of indifference.

"Um, is it too hot for you?" she asked, walking towards him.

"A little-" Kanda stood still as she came towards him.

She looked unbearable adorable in her yukata. The gray color made her rosy skin stand out more. Her hair had become wavy and her curls struggled to free itself from the clip she put it in. the material of the yukata fitted her nicely as it stressed the rise of her breast, the curve of her hips and the long legs he yearned to touch.

_Fuck. _

Miranda reached up and touched his forehead with cool fingers. They lightly trailed over his face before cupping his cheek gently. "You don't fell warm, so I guess you don't have a fever," she concluded softly. "I guess you're just hot."

Kanda couldn't resist a smirk. "Thanks. I've been told I'm beautiful."

A blush filled her face as she jerked her hand away. "Eh! I-I-I-"

He chuckled and gently patted her head. "I'm teasing. Relax."

"Uh, uh, right!" Still, Miranda took a step back to keep them separated.

Dark eyes watched her, the way she bit her bottom lip distressingly and how she fidgeted nervously. He had brought her everything: the after-bath yukata, socks and sandals, and undergarments. Kanda had braved the embarrassment and the feeling of being a pervert as he dug through her yet to be unpacked bag. She wore them all perfectly and knowing what she wore underneath was proving to be a bad thing.

It made her a temptation he ached to taste.

"Lavi was asking for you," Kanda said bluntly.

Miranda looked up in surprise. "He was? Oh right! I forgot! I'm so sorry!" Alarmed, she began to fuss hysterically. "I promised to help him with his math review while he helps me with history. I need to go."

She stopped at the door, turning back to her amused and relieved partner. "Will you be joining us, Kanda?" she asked, politely inviting him to join.

Kanda shook his head. "We're here at least a week," he said. "There would be other times to study. Right now, I'm going to sleep."

"Oh. Okay." Miranda hesitated for a bit but took a step forward. "Um, Kanda?"

He glanced at her, waiting.

"Would you… please bend down a little?"

Raising an eyebrow, the Japanese youth bent forward like she asked.

Her hands held his face gently and she reached up on her toes to kiss his cheek softly. "Thank you very much, Kanda, for taking care of me. I am forever grateful to your kindness. Good night."

Smiling, Miranda let go and grabbed her things, exiting out the door.

Kanda stared at the block of wood long after her footsteps faded. He touched his cheek, to find it still warm form her sweet lips.

Yes, Miranda was warm snow that threatened to melt at any moment. And he had no doubt that he would be the one to melt her.

--

The night grew more rowdy as it furthered to the morning.

Allen had made a small fortune in clothing and kendo uniforms, keeping his reputation as an evil card shark. Seeing Miranda at the doorway, Lavi had asked her to join in.

Though she declined playing, the young woman kept the redhead company, watching as the short, seemingly innocent English boy reveal his dark side through each game of cards.

Finally, Tapp had put an end to it before the team members went into blows, figuring out at least that the only way Allen could be wining was because he was cheating. But because they were all more than a little tipsy, they kept getting into arguments amongst themselves.

Leaving the fools behind in Tapp's hands, Allen and Lavi walked Miranda to her room, where she found the door unlocked and the key placed neatly on her pillow. Obviously, Kanda had known she would forget and her heart warmed at his thoughtfulness. Locking her door, she climbed into the futon and went to sleep.

Miranda woke up the next morning with faint sunlight on her face. During the night, she had rolled off the futon in restlessness and found herself near the sliding doors of the balcony. She reached up and felt the crystallized trail of tears on her cheeks, tracing their path across her face.

Had she been crying in her sleep? Miranda could not remember her dreams, could not remember if they were sad or not. She did, however, remembered a face.

Wavy black hair.

Amber eyes.

A stricken face.

_Siento muito _**(2)**

"_I'm so sorry."_

The face seemed familiar, but she could not remember who exactly it was.

Miranda idly rubbed the palms of her hands as the scars tingled unpleasantly. She sat up, looking out the window and the surroundings outside. It had snowed heavily during the night, marking the start of an early winter. She had wondered idly if the festival Allen had spoken about in the note would still be held or if it was now cancelled because of the snow.

"Actually, the start of the festival depends whether or not it _does _snow," Allen told her at breakfast later that morning.

Since Lavi was known to be a late sleeper, it was just the two of them in the large common room where the meal was prepared for guests. No word of the kendo team and Kanda hadn't answered her knock when she went to see if he had wanted to join them.

She would have been worried, except Allen reassured her that it was natural for Kanda to sneak out without telling anybody.

"Lavi said that it drove his grandfather crazy back when he still lived with him," he told her.

"His grandfather?" Miranda repeated.

Allen nodded. "Yeah. From what I understand, Kanda's parents died a little after he was born. His grandfather, Zhu, took him in. But he was a handful, I guess. Always picking fights with people, insulting people, just plain being an asshole."

"Ha ha," she laughed, though she felt a bit nervous at the picture he was portraying of the Japanese boy. Though, she could somewhat see it. After all, she has seen some of his bad moods. And there that little detail of Kanda hating being called by his first name.

Come to think of it, she wondered why.

"So, how did you like the kimono?" Allen asked, through mouthfuls of food.

"It's very beautiful. You shouldn't have, Allen. It's way too much," Miranda insisted, frowning slightly.

"Nah, it's alright. Johnny made for me a while ago, back when I was in Portugal," he explained. "It was supposed to be a present for someone, but stuff happened and it sat in storage for a long time. When Lavi suggested we go on this trip, I thought about it and had it aired out. So it's not something I actually had bought, like Lavi did, but I hope you enjoy it all the same."

"Uh, I do! I do, Allen," the young woman assured the youth, whose eyes suddenly grew very solemn.

Though he was smiling as he ate, Miranda could sense something from the boy, a forlorn feeling of sadness and regret. Again, she was reminded how little she knew about her friends' past. If a sadness like this haunted the usually smiling and cheerful Allen, what the others? Lavi, Lenalee, Krory, what about them?

What about Kanda?

"Allen, I've been meaning to ask you something," Miranda began, almost tentatively.

"Yeah?" He turned to her while putting another spoonful in his mouth.

"If you are… brothers… with Tyki, why were you sent away? Ah! You don't really need to answer. I just… was curious. Um, when was it you left the family?" She stumbled through her questions, feeling the same, breathless feeling she got whenever even remotely mentioning the Portuguese man.

The white haired boy stayed silent. When Miranda turned her head to look at him, she saw that he had put the fork down, despite his plate still having a considerate amount of food, placing his hand over his mouth and chin in an expression of thought.

Again, she reminded him that he didn't need to answer her probing questions, didn't need to acknowledge them.

Instead, Allen smiled kindly. "No, it's alright. You cleaned my house for three years. You have a right to know."

"Eh?" Miranda blinked her eyes in confusion. "Did you live at that house during my time there? Why didn't I see you before?" she asked.

"I had a… condition," he explained. "An illness. When I was born, I was slightly paralyzed in my left arm. It got better through the years and I can move it without difficulty now." He flexed his left fingers to show her. "Why did you see me? Well, do you remember the part of the house none of maids were allowed to enter? The one Lulubell would always be in charge of?"

Miranda nodded, to show that she remembered. How could she forget? When she first started there, the senior maid that trained her kept stressing on the importance not to be caught anywhere near there. Even Tyki, back when they still retained the employer/employee relationship, would steer her away from that place, as subtly as he could without drawing the older woman's notice.

It had become such a daily occurrence that she _had_ to notice it.

"Well, can you guess why now?" Allen grinned, trying to make a joke out of it.

Miranda gasped, her eyes widening and covering her mouth in an expression of horror.

"Yeah. Not only could I not use my left arm properly, but I had a mild psychosis disease. It's controlled now, thanks to my medication, but when I was a child, I didn't always take the required amount needed. The family was more worried that the medicine was doing worse on my health than good, so I would often go for days without the pills. Lulubell was stationed there to intercept me in case I escaped from my nurses.

"My psychosis, as you can guess, got worse over time the less and less I would take my pills. Until finally, the older brother of my father, my foster father Mana, intervened and took me away from the house. Under his supervision, I eventually got better, and when he died three years later, I was taken in by a close friend of his (though I wonder how that could be since Cross is the most selfish person I know) since then and till present day. He's not the best guardian and you could say that I learned bad habits from him."

Allen grinned evilly, his hands making a motion like if he was dealing with a deck of cards once more. She had watched him play last night and had to agree that he was most frightening during the games.

"Cross still keeps me on the meds, which is why I am able to attend the Black Order Academy," he finished and his smile softened into a wry one. "I hope that hasn't changed your opinion of me much, Miranda."

The usual image she had of Allen did warred with the newer one formed from her findings of both the night before and what he had just revealed to her this morning.

Her hand touched his lightly and she stared straight into those soft gray eyes. One thing was certain and clear: Allen was still her friend. She expressed such conviction through her gaze, her heart swelling with happiness as she watched the sadness fade and Allen give a true smile.

Through their past they formed a deep connection, one that could not be broken no matter what anyone said. It ran too deep.

As the white haired boy looked at Miranda, he could almost read her thoughts. A quick stab of fear went through him, as he wondered if she knew truly how deep they were bonded. Their connection was made more of employer and employee.

Thanks to Road and his gullible-ness, his naivety, his darker self bonded him to this young woman through a tie of torture and blood.

Miranda was wearing her customary gloves, an article of clothing that never failed to make Allen guilty, though his poker face hid all. Of those dark emotions he would often feel whenever his eyes made contact with the gloves.

If he had the power, he wanted to make the scars go away and have it return to smooth flesh. One day, he wished for the strength to fully tell her just how sorry he was for giving her the life of where she needed to hide.

_Growwlll…._

Both jumped at the loud protest Allen's stomach gave in regards of him having stopped eating. The English boy gave a nervous laugh while he rubbed the back of his neck self-consciously.

"Sorry about that. My stomach tends to get moody when it's not being fed," he apologized, his cheeks reddening in embarrassment.

"No. It's alright." Her voice cracked as she tried and failed to contain her laugh. "It's my fault for interrupting your meal by asking questions."

"Questions? About what? Hopefully, you haven't been feeding her stories about me, Allen." They turned to a sleepy and bed muddled Lavi standing by the door.

Miranda blushed and ducked her head behind her hands with a squeak as the sight of his undress. Apparently, the red head went to sleep wearing only his pajama bottoms and they hung low of his hips, the tie around the middle either forgotten, untied during his sleep, or just plain ignored. **(3)**

Allen sighed and took off the gray sweater he wore, leaving his white dress shirt on while he threw the article of clothing at the red head's face. "Put that one, Lavi," he ordered his college partner. "We have a lady present."

"Oh yeah. Sorry about that, Miranda." He gave an apologetic grin as he put on the somewhat small sweater, so it rode up and still showed part of his midriff.

"N-no. Its okay, Lavi." Still, Miranda covered her eyes until Lavi went and sat on Allen's left by the low, Eastern styled table, hiding his well formed abdomen from view. Only then did she dare peek between her fingers.

"The inn's usually empty around this time of year, since we tend to come here early or around Christmas time, so it's usually us guys or the others guests tend to go down to the village this late. So I usually just keep whatever I slept in when I come downstairs. I'm sorry in case I forget later too, but I'll make an effort to remember," the red head promised, stealing a forkful of hash brown from the plate nearest to him.

Allen glared.

"Is it only the two of you usually?" Miranda asked, her face still flushed and red as she pointed between the two men.

"Sometimes Yu tags along as well, when we can either convince or bribe him over here or when he's not busy with tournaments and stuff. He's a sucker for paid vacations, if you didn't know. And he's always liked Tapp and Dopp's place 'cause of the big open spaces of the mountains sort of reminds him of home."

It made sense. Her partner did seem like an outdoor person, especially since he specialized in the fighting style kendo. Kanda also resembled a restless tiger when he stayed cooped up inside for a long time, as she one time saw a week ago.

"We invited Professor Cross one time too, last Christmas," Lavi continued. He gave a visible shudder and his head dropped to the table with a groan. "Biggest mistake we've ever made."

"Huh? Why? What happened?" Miranda wondered, looking between both boys as their expressions differed in different responses.

Where Lavi looked visibly ill, Allen was trapped in a gloomy atmosphere, a dark heavy cloud of depression that surrounded him like a cloak. He began to mutters incoherent words in a low tone, Miranda managing to make out some like "drinks", "games", and "blackmail."

"I'm sorry!" she cried out. "I didn't mean to ask. Please ignore me!" She waved her arms in apology, overwhelmed by the sudden negativity.

"Ah! Sorry Miranda. Didn't mean to worry you with our bad memories." Lavi reached over and patted her gently on the head. "Let's just say Cross is really _not _someone you want to drink or even play drinking games with. You tend to regret it."

"Just don't take any of Cross's classes, Miranda!" Allen suddenly warned her, his intensity making her jump. "He'll molest you constantly, especially since you have great legs and is his type. Just stay away from the devil!" **(4)**

"EH?!" The German woman nearly combusted as she turned as red as a tomato by Allen's remarks.

"Allen, that's a little too much," the red head pointed out. "Don't let your childhood memories confuse you."

"I'm not confused! I'm just warning her, damn it!"

Shrugging, Lavi stood and stretched, momentarily forgetting the affect his half dressed self had on their poor female friend. "Well, I'm going to take a bath and get ready. The festival's gonna start real soon, if I remember right."

Allen nodded. "They will want to get started before the heavy snow storms come."

"Right. I'll see you too later. Can't wait to see you in your kimono, Miranda." He waved, taking off Allen's sweater and threw it back at the white haired youth as he left the room.

"Right!" Allen called back, putting the clothing beside him as he stuffed the remaining food in his mouth, chewing furiously in his haste.

"Wiv shud git redy un too," he said through a full mouth, stacking the plates neatly on the table before taking them to the cart that had been set aside for such.

Miranda nodded as she tidied up her own eating place, somewhat managing to understand him.

On the way to the door, Allen stopped. As an afterthought, he added, "Don't worry about that sourpuss Kanda. He's coming with us even if we need to drag him by his ponytail!" He pumped his fist with enthusiasm, enjoying the idea a little too much.

Miranda smiled at his thoughtfulness, though she begged him, "Please don't."

--

The snow fell gently on his cool face, melting on his skin and traced the curve of his cheek before falling onto his shoulder. Though light, the snowfall continued as the sky stayed darkened with clouds.

It was quiet in the wilderness, disturbed only by a bird's song or a deer's bellow. The trees only stirred whenever a squirrel or vermin would travel by, or a small breeze would pass. Undisturbed by human life entirely, where the basic need was only to survive the next day.

Just the way he enjoyed it.

Truthfully, Kanda didn't want to go to the festival, could not imagine why the two blockheads might want to. Their drunken escapade had not been kept only to the inn's common room; no, the truth was more horrible and embarrassing. Once, he'd managed to make Cross talk long enough to say that they had gone down to the village, participated a bit in the winter festivities, picked up chicks and went back.

That would explain a lot of things. His nakedness save for a damn collar and Santa's hat, the woman, and the fact they had played some game before getting it on.

Point was, Kanda didn't want to go there and risk seeing the same girls or someone who witnessed his stupidity.

Damn, was he going to make Cross pay!

A twig snapped.

Kanda turned his head to see a fawn passing through the bush, unaware of his presence or the danger he represented. Dark eyes followed as the baby deer trotted its way along, carefree and stupid, much in a manner he despised as it reminded him of a person he wished not to remember.

His older brother, Alma.

Kanda threw the wooden sword hard enough that when it hit the tree, it bounced back several feet. The fawn gave a cry of both surprise and alarm as it bolted from the spot in terror, bellowing in fear for its mother.

"Stupid," he muttered, before trudging over to pick up his weapon.

It annoyed him, anything that was innocent and childish. Because of their lack of knowledge about the world and its evils, they proved the easiest to crack.

Alma had been the proof of that.

"_Yu… I'm sorry."_

"Yu!"

Annoyed, the Japanese youth turned and glared at the red haired young man jogging towards him. He was dressed in a light winter jacket, with a white fur trim around the collar. His boots trudged through the thicket of snow, and his pants had sowings of special designs, of running deer chased by a pack of gray white wolves. Over his chest were two bear paws.

"I thought I said not to call me that," he growled, debating whether or not he should give into the temptation and send the wood sword flying again, only this time aiming at Lavi's head.

It was almost too good to pass up. Yet the weapon stayed by his side, as there was something within that green eye that told him that Lavi was serious about something. His grin was normal, the teasing still there. But the air around him was different.

"I haven't seen you show your true colors in a while," Kanda noted. "What ticked you off?"

"Oh, you know. The usual." He shrugged, not really answering the question. "So what's taking you? Even Allen's already ready to go to the festival."

Kanda turned away. "I'm not going," he said. "Now go away."

"Can't do that, buddy. Me and Allen, we made a promise to Miranda that we get you down there. No matter what."

Dark eyes flickered to that solid green. "Is that a threat?" he goaded.

"Come on, Yu. Be nice. I can surely guarantee that you will have a good time this year. Since now you're with her."

"Che."

Both youths stood there, locked in a contest of sorts. What they battled with were slightly different than physical weapons. They used their will to challenge each other, trying to force the other to back down. Lavi to give up, Kanda to give in.

Finally, the Japanese youth broke enough to ask a question. "Why?"

"Why what?" You're going to have to be a little specific, Yu," Lavi returned.

He gritted his teeth. "Lavi…" he warned. "Don't make me hurt you."

"Try," the red head taunted. "I may act childish, but you and I both know I can hold my own."

Kanda stepped forward, un-intimidated. Lavi mirrored the action, a big grin on his face.

It was starting to annoy him, this mockery, and the red head knew it. This was how he worked, his strategy: get the person to attack first before making a move himself.

It was a sneaky, dishonorable way to fight and Lavi knew it. Yet it did not stop him from taking its advantages.

Lavi may not look it, but he was an adept fighter and an expert on using his hands. Kanda, on the other hand, can hold his own in a brawl, but hand to hand was his weak point. He had been taught to use a sword, not his fists.

Watching his glare, Lavi asked, "Give up yet? I wish I can do this all day, but we do have a festival to go to and you need to go change."

Kanda narrowed his eyes in furious disgust. "Not a chance in hell," he growled, not backing down to the rabbit's challenge.

In the end, Lavi shrugged almost mournfully. "Oh well. I did warn ya."

With no time to react, Kanda was stabbed in the stomach with an open palm and thrown over onto his back. He coughed, as the seemingly soft bed of snow was harder than the ground.

"Bastard," he hissed, moving to his side lest he choke on the air that had gathered in his chest from the blow. It would add to the embarrassment from being owned by the stupid rabbit.

Damn his pride.

Kanda hadn't thought Lavi would actually do it, since the red head was more fun and games than any real serious matter. But there was his current personality that should have given the dark haired boy a damn reason to beware.

Lavi may act like everyone's best friend, but there was a reason why he had been locked within the penitentiary with Kanda nine years ago.

"Ready to go now?" the red haired boy asked cheerfully.

"Who the fuck said I had been beaten?"

Twisting his body up, Kanda landed a roundhouse kick at the boy's face, making him stagger a few feet back in a somewhat dazed state. He spat blood to the side, wiping the trickle falling down his lip as his single green eye glowed with excitement.

"That was a cheap shot," he remarked.

Kanda got to his feet. "So was yours," he retorted with a frown, brushing the excess of snow from his backside and hair.

Both boys stared at one another, the red head with a wide grin, the dark haired boy with a scowl.

"So this is how it's going to be?" Lavi asked, asking for the spoken confirmation of what's about to occur.

"Yeah,' Kanda nodded, readying into a stance.

The red head gave a short laugh. "I'm going to enjoy kicking your ass, buddy."

"Likewise." **(5)**

---

"Are you sure we should be going?" Miranda asked once more, nervous and alarmed at the fact that both Kanda and Lavi had been gone for a while, Kanda since this morning and Lavi about three hours ago.

The festival was scheduled to start at moonrise when the clouds were supposed to fade and show a glimpse of the winter moon. Scotland was a land of folklore and legends, and the most common of them all were about the Fae, or fairies.

The winter festival was thrown on the night following the first snowfall in the of the Unseelie Kin. According to Lavi, the mountain people would dress up as Unseelie fairies, despite the cold weather. Supposedly, they were used to the mountain air so no matter how little they wore, they by the cold.

Sort of amazing, when she thought about it.

"They'll meet us there. Lavi's not one to break a promise and neither am I," Allen assured her, tidying up the costume he wore.

It was half parka that extended into a tight-fitted cloak that ended below his knew. Underneath was a white, shredded shirt with what looked like vines growing intertwine with the ragged pieces of cloth. His pants were black and untouched as well as his boots, and next to him on the table was a headdress of antlers.

He held it to his head as he turned to her with an assuring smile. "I'll give us a head start to the village while Lavi brings back Kanda and change him into his part. We need three Unseelie Knights if we're going to play the part this year. By the way, Miranda. You make a lovely 'tithe'."

The German blushed and fidgeted consciously at the praise. Along with the fall themed kimono, Miranda had old leaves and preserved vines entwined with her curls, a style created by Dopp in time for this festival, giving an idea of the African woman's fast creativity. The materials had been made by Tapp as souvenirs of the inn. He had refused Miranda's offer of payment, explaining that it was an honor for him to have some who was going to participate in the festival's contest to wear his humble creations, direct quotations.

Of course, it was a contest that either boy had neglected to tell her about.

The last addition to her outfit were two, extensive and fragile wings. Made also by Tapp of transparent cloth and twigs for the membrane, it had purposely made tears in which leaves had been crumbled and scattered, glued on with a special, sweet smelling substance. When she moved her shoulders forward and back, a mechanism followed the movement and created the illusion of flapping.

According to Allen, Miranda was a tithe, or a sacrificial offering to the Winter King. The whole theme in their role playing was the three Unseelie Knights, Dagda, Fauni, and Ankou, (played by Lavi, Allen, and soon to be Kanda) offering their king "Fall" (a fairy played by Miranda). It was the reason why Lavi had wanted to take Miranda early to the inn, instead of the usual date they took in the winter, for the idea had been simply too good to pass up.

Allen gave a grunt of frustration, continuing to attempt in placing the complex headdress of horns over his short premature white hair. He frowned at his reflection, looking baffled as to why the damn thing wouldn't stay.

"Here, Allen. If you don't mind, I can help," Miranda offered, reaching up and taking hold of the inner cap that was supposed to cover the boy's strange colored hair and give him instead a molted brown texture that resembled texture that resembled fur. It was hard to tell from which animal, though, since it didn't give a wolf's appearance.

"Thanks Miranda," Allen said appreciatively, bending himself forward so she can fully reach and work freely without trouble.

"It's no problem. I've even had help on my own costume," she assured him, smiling as she worked securing the headdress over his head. "Though, if I may ask, what sort of being are you supposed to be?"

"Take a guess," the boy grinned, though she couldn't see it from her position.

"Um…" She stopped working to ponder it, taking another good look at the headdress and his clothing.

Horns, matted hair, a woodsy type of clothing. He could be…

"A… hunter… with horns?" she said, hesitating with each syllable.

Allen laughed and Miranda blushed with embarrassment. "Sorry. I… I just don't know that much about fairies," she apologized and quickly returned to her work.

"No, it's alright. Most people wouldn't know about me either, even if they were informed about such things," the English boy said, reaching up to pat her hand reassuringly. "It's untreatable. I'm a Fauni, a wood-type fairy that's part of the Unseelie court." Looking up, he gave her a wink. "Nice to meet you."

Miranda laughed at his silliness. "What am I?" she asked. "Who am I suppose to be, besides a sacrifice to an evil king, that is."

"Well, technically, the Unseelie aren't really evil but…" As she straightened out the headdress, Allen gave it some thought. "There's not really a definite name for a fairy of Fall. There are many whom can simply control all elements, so their names won't help. But I know of one that will, simply because it fits you, Miranda. It fits you perfectly."

"Me?" She dropped her hands, both in surprise and because she was done.

"Yep," said the formerly white haired boy, now a beautiful and majestic legend of the forest. "You are Ainsel, the childish fairy. You're different than most people and very understanding of their nature. How else can you withstand Kanda and his PMS." Miranda laughed nervously at the insult towards the Japanese boy's gender. "Also, you're pure, kind-hearted and nice. It feels good and warm to be around you. And I can tell you that both I and Lavi value you as a precious friend. That's why, you're perfect for Ainsel.

"So now, my dear Fall Ainsel, if I may, will you allow yourself to be sacrificed to our liege, the Unseelie King?" Allen grabbed hold of her hand, bending to one knee in a gentlemanly way.

He had gotten the character perfectly, becoming a charming and handsome fairy with the ability to persuade you into anything.

A true devil with the face of an angel.

"You're a very good actor, Allen," she said, taking his hand in hers.

"I took lessons in my third year of middle school," he revealed, getting up to a standing position. "How was it?" he asked, looking at her expectantly.

Gripping his hand, Miranda smiled at him. "Well, you got me to say yes, didn't you?"

**(1) I know Road does this in the actual story line, but for background purposes, it was Allen in his "Noah" state.**

**(2) Portuguese for "I'm sorry"**

**(3) Bit of fan-service for Lavi fans!**

**(4) Not really bad mouthing Cross. Just a little suggestion whether or not to add the pairing off to the side, that's all. Review if you do want it. **

**(5) I was reading Volume 13 to get some inspiration and got fixated on evil Lavi. Thus, this entire scene was born.**

** A/N: Most of the ideas about the winter festival was made up by me, but the idea of the costumes and the tithe ceremony is based on the book by the same name, Tithe, by Ms. Holly Black. Of course, it was modified for the story's purposes and also so I wouldn't be plagiarizing and stuff. Check out the book, though. It's a great read. **

** The names of the fairies are real (or according to the website I got it from http(semi-colon, double slash)www(dot)fairies(dot)com(slash)fairy(underscore)lore(dot)htm But they aren't the Unseelie knights or how I described them. So don't be going looking for them and messaging me that I was wrong and stuff because I know and I just picked the best who are evil, cause that's what the Unseelie court is usually associated with. **

** Originally, this chapter was suppose to come out on Valentine's day, but I got writer's block half way. Also the chapter got too long, so I'm cutting it here and finishing it in the next chapter. **

** About the costumes, anyone kind enough to draw me a fanart of them will get to be in the story. Not only that, but also a love interest to anyone of their choice. (excluding, of course, Kanda and Miranda). There isn't a deadline for this since it takes me forever to update. (there, I admitted it!) **

** But have fun, everyone and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'll put the description of both Lavi's and Kanda's costumes in the next chapter.**

**Toodles!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

At first opportunity, Kanda was going to kill Lavi.

He found it hard to stay still, holding an icepack to his face while Dopp fixed yet another ridiculous costume on his body. He had thought Halloween had been bad, but with no offense to Johnny, who is obviously the maker of both outfits, this costume was wilder than that of the phantom he had worn.

For one thing, he was half nude despite the obvious cold weather. The focus of the costume was the hakama like style of the pants, ripped and braided with skulls interwoven within the fabric. Bells hung from a looped belt that extended around his waist, rising to the sash that hugged his midriff. Cut off sleeves were tied around the rise of each of shoulder blade that flowed down to give the appearance of wings.

Right now, Dopp was painting an eight point star on the right side of his chest next to his already exotic tattoo. It was known as the fairy star and the symbol of the Tuuli Thea, the elite group of the Fae. Behind him, Tapp was busy brushing out his long hair, readying it for the complex style Dopp will be fixing it in.

"Stay still!" the African woman snapped at him for the eleventh time, as his flesh jumped whenever the ice-cold pint of the brush touched his skin.

He was already cold form being outside in a tumble that was supposed to be a fight. Now, Kanda felt like a freaking icicle.

"It's _cold_," he said as much to the buxom woman.

"Suck it up. You're a man, aren't you?"

Kanda growled and gritted his teeth. His one rule, his code of honor, involved to never strike a female. Never has he felt the strong desire to break it now.

Glowering, Kanda turned to Lavi, who had finished dressing while he had been tending to his wounds. Gone as the ridiculous outfit from before and he was now dressed in an elaborate costume that suited him to the tee.

Lavi wore hair extensions that reached his lower back that were a light mango color that almost looked eerily natural, the natural red of his hair blending into the strange orange. His bandana was gone, letting his bangs fall over his eyes to give him a mysterious look. Three strings of oriental beads had been braided into the strands on his left side, the first shorter than the last. These hung over his right eye, being the one with the eye patch.

Fox ears came out of the sides of his head and whiskers had been painted on each cheek, along with vines coming down like tears on his left cheek. He now wore a single gold contact, the pupil being the slit version of a snake's eye.

Finally, to finish his makeup and assortments, fangs, a fox tail (a real one that had been stuffed for the occasion), and claws were put on, with Dopp adding the green vines crawling up his arms.

Lavi's clothes were just as exotic as Kanda's: a maroon vest covered his bare chest, made out of vellum like material that gave the illusion of fur. He wore gloves that had been cut on the knuckle side, to show off the tattoos. It went to mid-arm, where the gloves had been tied tight to keep them on. They were also fingerless, to show off the claws.

The vest had a plunging V neckline, where his chest had been painted on, a whole canvas of a field of clovers that extended down to his waistline. Kanda had seen Dopp paint it while he got ice for his cheek.

Lastly, Lavi wore simple black slacks, with brown tweed rope hanging down the loops of where the belt would go, tucked into thigh high black combat boots. The same tweed rope wrapped around the high leather like thin, decayed snakes.

He now looked like Dagda, the fox sprite that was the Unseelie King's favorite trickster, the knight favored for his wit and obedient nature. Also, he was famous for his nefarious tricks on human and Fae alike.

Dagda fitted Lavi's personality like a glove.

Noticing his friend's glare, Lavi flashed his fangs in a grin at the sullen youth. "What?" he asked innocently. "Something amiss, Ankou?"

His style of voice and tone had changed, becoming more playful and mischievous. Apparently, the red head had gotten into character for the sole purpose of annoying him.

"Why the hell are you still here? You're done, aren't you?" Kanda demanded, wanting nothing more than to get up and go for a rematch. But a warning jab from the brush told him not to move again, unless he wanted some serious pain.

So he obediently staid put, but kept his glare on the red head.

Lavi pretended to think about this question seriously. **(2)** "Hmm… I don't know. Maybe to keep you company?"

It was both amazing and infuriating to see him keep in character. Of course, when dressing up to go to the festival, it is expected for the person to get into the role of whomever they chose to portray. It was a big deal and there were many contests going on for the best Costume and Actor, or whoever could act the best. The prizes varied, from plasma TVs to exotic trips. Kanda couldn't remember if there were cash prizes as well.

He gave his coldest stare, striving to destroy Lavi's amusement. "I don't need you to babysit me. I can take care of myself," he growled.

"Hmph!" Dopp scoffed, wiping off the excess paint from her brush. "I'll believe that when I see more empty plates from your room."

"She's got a point, Yu," Lavi pointed out, dropping his act. "Otherwise, you'll keep losing to this!" He smacked his muscled form, which the point would have been lost had Kanda never seen the red head eat.

Not nearly as bad as Allen (whom he could never understand where he puts it in that small body), but Lavi ate more than a normal person should.

It irked him, made him twitch.

"No one asked you, Dopp," he snapped at her unwisely.

She tugged on his ear like a bad child, frowning. "Now don't take that tone with me, young man!" she scolded him. "I'm still not pleased with either of you. In fact, the only reason I'm even helping is that this is Miranda's first festival. So behave and don't ruin it for her. I'm taking to the both of you!" Dopp glared between them, emitting a fierce fury that instantly made the two young men submit readily.

"Yes, ma'am."

Tapp laughed. "And this is why I don't need to worry about my sister," he said proudly. "She takes care of herself!"

She snorted unladylike and watched her younger brother layout Kanda's long dark hair, so black that it shone blue. It had been brushed so it wouldn't tangle in her work, infused with special oil that made it fine and pretty, flowing smoothly through one's fingers, how Dopp is going to need it if she was to do this style.

Kanda felt his face flush in embarrassment at having his hair be treated so delicately and fine like a girl's. He wanted to protest, to make a fuss that would make him a typical boy, but his body stayed put, both out of apprehension of facing Dopp's wrath and something else.

An image of Miranda appeared in his mind, her gentle smile near haunting him, her scars near tormenting him. For her, he stayed still and waited for the torture to begin.

Dopp looked at the design drawn on the paper with a foul look, before she scowled at Lavi with a raised eyebrow. The question was loud and clear: _Really?_

The red head shrugged, the beads by his right temple clinking in response. "Johnny said it would suit him and the costume. If you don't want to do it or if you can't-"

"Don't insult me. Of course I can!" Dopp interrupted. She glanced over to the brooding Japanese boy. "But in order for it to work, I'm going to have to cut some of your hair, Kanda. Are you sure about this?"

Kanda was silent. The length of his hair was nothing to him. He could do without it. But…

He sighed. He could not deny that it had some special meaning to his grandfather, Zhu. The old man had gotten both extremely emotional and sentimental after what had happened.

"Damn it!" he swore angrily. "Do whatever you want. I don't give a damn."

Dopp shrugged. "Alright then. Tapp, pass me those scissors, will you?"

In the middle of the bustling festival, Miranda was swept away with awe.

At first, she had been a little overwhelmed, with the cold and the rigorous activity going around them. But the longer she stood there with Allen, the more she could see the magic around this place.

For one thing, she and Allen were not the only ones dressed up. Numerous fairies walked around them, some wearing so much glitter that it made them literally sparkle underneath the soft glow of light. Some were almost half naked or near entirely, making Miranda give out a yelp and cover her eyes, while wondering how they could withstand the cold in such little clothing.

"It's okay, Miranda. They're gone, so you can open your eyes now," Allen soothed her with a smile.

Out of everyone there, she believed it was Allen who gained the most attention, the most stares filled with awe. There had been plenty of people whom stopped by, asking the English boy for pictures, some even asking for Miranda to join. Some of the other fairies asked who he was.

"Try to guess please," Allen would say, with a wink towards his friend.

The two of them were standing together, near the closest entrance where Allen had said they would meet the others at. They had created quite a crowd, to the point where one of the festival employees had to regulate the flow of traffic.

At first, the man had asked them to move further in, suggesting a platform where they could wait for their friends. But Allen explained to him that his friends were new to the festival and wouldn't know where to look for them. After more convincing, the man finally gave in and allowed them to stay where they were; instead he began to direct the flow of foot traffic so the entrance wouldn't be crowded. They could hear him over the crowd.

"Excuse me! Little lady!" a heavily accented voice asked for Miranda's attention.

She turned her head and looked up. And up. And up.

The man was huge, with a full red beard that seemed to nearly engulf the lower part of his face, with similarly thick eyebrows. He fit the costume of the Viking he wore, complete with a horned helmet, as though he had come from the very past for this event.

But unlike the stories she had read about the fierce people, this man's eyes were kind and sparkling with good cheer. Also, there was gray in his beard and he was stooping in his height that spoke of his age. An elder woman stood behind him, holding a camera and wearing a simpler dress, much like a peasant woman would have worn back in the day, complete with fur trimmed boots.

"Um, yes?" Miranda asked, intimidated by the large man even though she knew that he meant her no harm.

"May you and yer lad be in a picture wit me?" he asked, almost excitedly like a child.

She turned to Allen, who had stepped beside her. He shrugged and smiled.

"It's alright with me," he said.

Miranda turned back to the man and nodded. "Sure," she said. "We will be happy to."

The man let out a roar of contentment, startling both youths before he tugged them both to his side, facing the woman. "Get a good shot, Martha!" he told her, whom was presumably his wife.

Martha bustled forward, quickly releasing her husband's hold on the two bewildered youths. "First, Jona, let the two dears breathe," she scolded him, in a lighter accent than the man's. "Right here, sweet pea. You stand here." She led Allen to a spot on Jona's right, making him stand in a way that showed off the complex horned headdress. "And you, my beauty, will lie right here."

"Huh?" Miranda squeaked, allowing Martha (though very apprehensively) to pose her like one would do in a modeling shoot, positioning her on the ground before them. She was half lying on her side, lifted by one arm. The pose allowed the fake wings on her back to flutter prettily, the robes of her kimono giving an alluring view of her legs, revealing the fairy sandals, or sandals that had vines crawling up her legs with fake leaves, she wore.

This pose made her face flame red and she staid still as Martha brushed some of her hair over one shoulder as much as she could, without destroying the hairstyle and managing to show the accessories she had in her hair.

The floor was oddly warm, heated by the same thermal energy that made the hot springs. Still, it made it no less embarrassing to be lying down like this, especially in public.

Martha posed Jona next, managing to make him like a mighty Viking after all, having him bend down to one knee and raising his arms as though he was getting ready to bellow.

"Now, that's a picture!" she said with pride. "Sorry for the wait, but a good photographer must always ready her models to make them shine!" She grabbed the camera from her neck. "Now, say Fairy!"

"Fairy!" they said and Martha shot several photos of them, in different angles. Around them, other people took the opportunity to snag their own of the alluring poses, giving out comments of impressed views.

At last, it was done and Jona helped Miranda up. He thanked both her and Allen for their kindness and Martha offered to make arrangements to send them a copy of the pictures once she got them developed in her studio. It turned out she was a professional photographer from Ireland, on vacation in Scotland with her husband.

"That will be great," Allen said and he looked embarrassed. "I don't know if the others we're waiting for remembered to bring their camera with them."

"What are you talking about? Of course I did!"

Allen and Miranda were blinded by a flash of light, making them blink their eyes to rid of the sudden spots. She rubbed her eyes and nearly jumped at the sudden cries and squeals of the females around them. She thought something was wrong at first, looking around terrified in case someone was in trouble. But then she followed their gazes, towards where Allen now stood, scolding the newcomer, and she saw what made it a perfectly good reason to cry out and to even squeal.

Lavi… was amazing. No words could describe just how perfectly the costume fitted him. It was almost hard to imagine him as before, as himself. He looked every inch as a fox fairy, a mischievous creature whose enjoyment was playing jokes of all kinds. He held a very expensive camera, a Nikon D5000 that looked brand new. She wondered how he managed to hold it with those claws he wore, or how he managed to keep those gloves on his arms.

Lavi caught her looking and gave an impressed sound. "Mir-an-da! Looking good!" He whistled appreciatively, going around her as he surveyed her appearance.

Miranda blushed and ducked her head. She began to sputtered, trying to deny his compliment. "It's only because Dopp and Tapp has done such a good job," she tried to convince him, but it didn't work.

Lavi took her hand and bowed deeply over it. "Nah, it's all you, sweetheart," he said flirtatiously and she thought she would faint.

"Dagda, knock it off." Allen smacked Lavi in the back of his head, using what must have been Lavi's fairy name. _"Ainsel_ is not yours to pay around with."

"Eh?" Miranda looked between them, wondering about the sudden change in mood. Had the role-playing already begun?

"Why? Are you jealous because I'm having fun, _Fauni?"_ the red head asked, stressing on the name.

The English boy didn't look the bit angry, only annoyed. "No," he said. "I'm only saying this 'cause Ankou looks about ready to kill you."

It was then that Miranda was suddenly pulled back, to stand behind someone's tall and angry figure. She did not recognize him, not at first. Then she saw the dark scowl and the familiar dark hair, but the rest of him was… different.

It was more than the outfit he wore, the costume that suited him so perfectly that her mouth went dry with unfamiliar sensations, a deep burn of desire that gathered in her chest.

Kanda was magnificent, looking every inch of the Unseelie warrior he was supposed to be. His dark temperament bored down on them, creating a persona that became the dark fairy Ankou's ego, the fairy of death.

Miranda could not tell if he was in character or not. Her hand lifted to his face, startling him with her touch. When he looked at her, she saw that he wore kohl around his dark eyes, shadowed by the feathery bangs that hung over his face. His hair had been changed, the style being feathery and light, to blend with the real feathers that had been inserted within the strands.

It was more than a headdress of feathers, which extended down his back in a French cornrow sort of style that left two long strands of hair to frame his face, curtaining the exotic tattoo and the added star on his chest.

The hand that held her arm was clawed like Lavi's was, with a sort of leathery arm band that extended from the wrist to the elbow. From there, more feathers had sprouted, black like a raven's wing.

Ankou _was_ death, which is why in many stories and images of him, he is most portrayed as a crow, which explains Kanda's birdlike appearance.

The only part that had not been painted on was his scowl, though his look somewhat softened into a blank stare as he stared down at her intently. Miranda jumped as she realized what she was doing and hastily stepped back, though with his hold she didn't get very far.

"I-I'm sorry, Kanda! I was just so surprised. I didn't know you were going to cut your hair. I mean, it's still long, yes, but the style," she was babbling in her nervousness, looking down to the ground and anywhere else but his impressive build.

_What is wrong with me?_ She demanded of herself, but didn't receive any answer. Not that she would, of course, but she couldn't stop that foolish hope. That pitiful desire.

Kanda silenced her by covering her mouth, careful with the way he did so that the claws wouldn't nick her or anything.

"You didn't do anything to apologize for," he grumbled uneasily, his voice speaking very low. He quickly released her, both of his hold on her arm and his hand on her mouth. But he didn't turn away, continuing to stare down at her with an unreadable expression.

Miranda didn't even try to decipher it, too afraid of what she would find in those dark eyes of his.

_Snap!_

"Gotcha!" Lavi announced happily, grinning at them from behind the camera. "Sorry. That was totally a Kodak moment and I couldn't resist." He draped an arm over Kanda's shoulders, mindful of the feathers. "So, what do you think? Pretty sweet, ain't she? Dopp truly did her job!"

Kanda looked away, while Miranda covered her face with embarrassment. Any more of his compliments and she was sure her face would catch on fire.

But none so what the dark boy's words did to her. Even as softly spoken he did, she still heard them, almost as loud as the roar of the crowd.

"_She looks beautiful."_

"Oh my dearies!" Martha came over to where they stood, her eyes glowing with excitement and near hysteria. "The two of ye are magnificent!"

"Bloody brilliant! I cannae wait to see your procession," Jona agreed, looking at the two arrived boys with pride. "Course, I won't say anything before the contest that would ruin your chances."

"Thank you, Jona," Allen smiled gratefully. "We want to keep it a secret until we start. Hopefully, our acting wouldn't be that bad and people will be able to guess who we are."

"Donnae worry!" the huge man assured them. "Yer'll be great!"

"But first," Martha interrupted, lifting her camera. "May I take a picture of ye boys as well?"

After a second mini photo shoot, the role playing began.

"MOVE OUT OF THE WAY!" Lavi growled loudly, scaring a couple of children on his left side.

They ran away squealing with delight, some even running back to bug some more.

"Um, guys," Miranda's voice trembled, more with embarrassment than the cold. "Is this… really necessary?"

She had been swept up in the boys' arms, where she now sat on their shoulders. Lavi and Kanda held her up while Allen led the way to somewhere. They didn't tell her where, only explaining that it'll help with her acting if she was kept clueless.

"Pipe down, pixie!" Allen snapped at her, surprising her so much that she nearly fell forward.

Kanda used his free arm to catch her quickly, allowing her to use him as a leverage to keep her balance. The English boy gave an apologetic look, coming closer to her so that she could hear him over the crowd's chatter.

"Sorry for scaring you, Miranda," he said, "but in this acting, we're going to have to be mean to you. We are your abductors after all. But please don't take anything we say seriously. Everything is faked."

"And we need you to act more like a captive," Lavi added, looking up at her. "Don't worry. We'll put you down in a little while. We only need to act for the first ten minutes of arriving. It's the rule of the contest for some reason."

"I… I see," she said, following their whispered tones. "Then, I guess I'm supposed to be screaming?"

"Yep," Lavi nodded, the beads by his face tinkling in response. "Also, try to struggle a bit. The people will love it!"

"I-I'll try," she said uneasily.

She wasn't sure how to start, never really being in this sort of situation before. She moved her legs, aiming to kick but not to strike while keeping a firm grip on the boy's shoulders.

"That's it! You're doing great!" the read head praised in his normal voice, before it became high and playful. "Oi! We got a fighter!" It looked like he was restraining her, but really he was keeping a tight hold. "Come on, Yu, join in," he whispered to the dark haired boy, who staid stubbornly silent.

Miranda gave a faint squeal, breathlessly saying to let her go. She flushed, never having to act in this manner before in her life and she wasn't even sure if she was even doing it right.

"Quiet that wench! We don't want her kin following!" Allen barked, again surprising the German woman with his brilliant acting, making him seen like a true cruel fairy with no regards to the tears or screams of a female.

She blinked, as an unwanted image flushed through her mind.

_Dark hair. _

_Gold eyes._

_A maniacal smile._

"_Se quer gritar, grito! Eu só somente estou sendo começado, cadela pequena!"_**(3)**

Miranda stiffened at the memory, the scars on her hands beginning to burn. Her struggles became real, her hold forgotten as she fought to get away.

"Huh? Wait, Miranda!"

Lavi blinked as suddenly the weight on his shoulder disappeared. He whirled quickly, the snow spraying around his feet, as he searched to see if Miranda had fallen, cursing his loose grip. But he hadn't expected her to go into depth as she did, or the force she had begun to use really surprised him. Who knew she had that much strength in her?

He relaxed, though, in relief. He even cracked a knowing grin.

"You know, if you wanted to hold her all by yourself, you should have just said so, Yu-I mean, Ankou," he pointed out, snickering.

"Shut up," Kanda glared.

The pose was surprising. He held Miranda nearly over his shoulder, the position forcing her to grab hold of his neck lest she fall and have her weight bring them both down. Her eyes were wide as she felt the softness of his hair and the coarse feel of feathers against her cheek, the velvety skin of his broad shoulders beneath her hands.

Her entire face has gone red, feeling the strength of his hands against the kimono covering her legs, dangerously close to her rear end.

Allen jogged back, a worried expression destroying his mask of the ruthless fairy. "Did something happen? Was Miranda hurt?" he asked almost fiercely.

"Oh, she's fine," Lavi assured the younger boy, waving his hand his a carefree way. "Kanda just couldn't wait to get her hands on her."

Miranda jumped. "Um, uh…" she stuttered, drawing away from the sudden close proximity of their faces, looking at anything but the boy who held her in his arms.

"K-Kanda. Y-you can p-put me down now."

He shook his head, surprising her with his refusal. "You're supposed to be our captive," he reminded her. "I won't put you down until it's done, so just… bear with me, alright?"

She gave out a shriek of terror as Kanda lifted her even higher, now literally putting her over his shoulder like sack of potatoes. She was amazed by his strength; surely she was a bit heavy? But then, Miranda remembered that he had carried her before, back when she had fainted in his doorway the day she received Tyki's phone call.

Her face burned when she thought about that moment. She had been more than half naked than she was now, yet this time it felt more intimidated, strangely more personally.

Kanda, too, was struggling, struggling not to move his hand from its spot on her thigh. The skin felt exquisite underneath his fingers, making him burn with the desire to feel more, just like the last time had. It didn't help the fact that her breasts were right there by the side of his face, nearly for his viewing pleasure. He felt like a pervert for thinking that but the thoughts wouldn't stop. And he had to stop, because these pants were already as tight as it is.

"You all right, Miranda?" Lavi asked, looking at the woman in case she needed assistance or if she fell again.

Blushing, Miranda nodded. "I-I'm fine," she told her friend, her voice shaking.

Someone held her hand and gave it squeeze. When she tilted her head, she saw that it was Allen, who gave her a small smile.

"It's just for a little while, 'kay?" he promised.

She sighed. "I… I know."

They resumed their acting, this time Kanda participating. Miranda felt greatly intimidated, as she thought the fairy Ainsel would be and managed to give a decent performance of a kidnapped fairy who was about to be sacrificed would act.

Lavi and Allen were both great. Allen played the part of Fauni brilliantly, acting both as a majestic god and a cruel demon of the forest, yelling at her to shut up and often suggesting that she be gagged. Of course, his eyes were always apologetic when he did and say these things, and whenever he touched Miranda, he did it gently and carefully, as though he were handling fragile glass instead.

Lavi, on the other hand, had a blast being Dagda. He played tricks whenever he could, pulling on people's hair as he passed them by and even braided some of them, many un-expecting it. As he left them behind, cries and outbursts would follow when his handiwork was noticed at last.

Out of all of them, the red head had the most fun.

Kanda did his own performance the best way that he could. Ankou detested children, so whenever they would approach to gawk at them, he would swipe his claws at the kids in a threatening manner, giving the best glare as he could and kept a good hold on Miranda when he did.

Of course, he would miss the damn brats but his attack seemed so real that the children would cry and run away in tears to their parents. One even began to bawl loudly on the spot, forcing the Japanese boy to lower Miranda reluctantly to her feet so she could hush the fussing child, while Lavi laughed at their expense.

Finally, the boys got what they were after, when a man detached himself from the crowd of admirers and asked for their names. He revealed himself as a Scouter, the person who was responsible for picking the best candidates for each specific contest and entering them in, after watching them for the ten minute time that was appointed.

He wrote their names on a small notepad furiously with a lengthy scrawl. Then, he gave them a bow and thanked them, before going on his way.

"No! Thank you!" Lavi called out to his retreating figure, waving his arm in the air in goodbye.

Without a word, Kanda turned around and began walking.

"Hey, hey! Hold on buddy!" Lavi ran after him, trapping the dark haired youth with an arm around the boy's neck. "Where are you going? The festival's just getting started, Yu! Surely you remember that? There's a lot to do while we wait for the results."

He glared. "The acting thing is done, so I no longer have a reason to stay. And you know full well that I hate the festival. I'm leaving."

"But _!"_

"Stop calling me that before I beat the shit out of you!"

"They're fighting again," Miranda said out loud, standing next to Allen somewhat away.

"Yeah, I'm really not surprised," the English boy said with a frown. His voice was loud, meaning for it to be heard from far away, specifically where the boys were.

"Kanda's never really lasted at the festival for a long period of time," Allen continued. "He simply can't handle the festival and the hard games of chance so before he makes an ass of himself, he leaves. It's happen before, so it's not surprising how _pathetic_ he is."

"Um, Allen." Miranda took a step back behind the boy as there was a sudden rush of ominous aura, filled with the hot air of anger. She could see her school partner literally twitch in an attempt to restrain his fury, to not lash out and hurt something like he so obviously wanted to do.

The boy beside her, however, turned to smile at her reassuringly. "Not to worry, though, Miranda. Lavi and I can show you around instead. Better than Kanda getting us lost again like that last time. Remember, Lavi? All those dead ends he led us to?"

"Oh yeah," Lavi agreed, removing his arm to cross the both of them over his chest. "And how he refused to ask directions, even when he had to go to the bathroom. I think it had gotten so bad that he had to go in the-"**(4) **

SMACK!

Kanda stomped his way to where Allen stood, leaving the fox fairy on the ground where his punch landed him. Face to face, the two boys glared at each other, Kanda with the fiercest and coldest scowl and Allen with a smirk, transforming his otherwise innocent face into a malevolent being.

"Anything else you want to say before I break your mouth, Beansprout?" the dark haired boy demanded.

"Sure," Allen grinned. "Kiss. My-"

GRROOOWWLLL!

Miranda jumped before stepping between the boys, the sound startling her greater than the immediate fight that was about to happen.

They all turned to Lavi, where the red head has sat up with a grin, rubbing the back of his head with embarrassment.

"Oops! My bad," he apologized. Surprisingly, none of his accessories dropped or was askew in the fall or affected by the blow Kanda had given him, still looking as he had when he first came.

Again, Miranda felt impressed by Tapp and Dopp's talent. She wondered why they didn't show those skills often and why they had become innkeepers instead. They could really make a fortune out of their skills, she thought.

Lavi stood up, brushing the snow from his pants before walking towards them. "Can we eat first before you kick each other's asses?" he asked cheerfully, not serious to the situation at all.

Then the German woman gasped as she realized something. "Oh no! I didn't bring my wallet!" She mentally cursed herself for not remembering or to even have the insight to at least stuff some money in a sleeve or something.

Even though she had been occupied with other things –like putting on the outfit and the things in her hair- there really wasn't any excuse. She still should have been responsible to remember to bring her own stuff. Maybe Kanda could take her back and- but she didn't want to be a bother.

Oh, what she do?

"Not to worry, Little Ainsel!" Lavi reached inside his vest and pulled out a small pouch that was connected to a string. "I brought enough for the both of us!"

"What about us?" Allen asked, crossing his arms and raising his eyebrow, the argument momentarily forgotten.

"You two can feed yourselves," the red head said, taking hold of Miranda's arm lightly and tugged her along. "That's what you get for being complete asses. Come one, Miranda. Let's go try to fineness of the Winter Festival's specialty!"

"What are you? Five?" The English boy followed along, shaking his head at the red head's antics. He glanced back to the brooding Japanese boy, who hadn't moved since Lavi's stomach interrupted. "You coming or do I have to spread another rumor?"

Kanda glared at the younger boy. "Why do you care so much whether I come along or not?" he demanded, sick at the games and tasks the two do in order to get their way with him.

"You're right. I don't," Allen admitted. "But I care about Miranda and believe it or not, she wants to spend time with you. As her friend, I will do anything to make her happy, even if it means hanging out with you." He left the dark haired boy behind, to jog until he reached the two in front of him, joining their conversation.

Miranda looked back and waved at him. "Come on, Kanda!"

Sighing, he followed, not really sure why he did. All he did know that he could not resist that smile, and he did try.

"It's snowing," Miranda nearly whispered, watching the sky as puffy white balls fell down steadily.

She wasn't the only one looking up. Many of the people were exclaiming in delight, some in their own native language that together became a colorful blend of different cultures. Children ran around freely, trying to catch the snowflakes with their hands or tongues or both. Their laughter surrounded the German woman and she felt at peace with everything. No longer did she feel the cold, as the warmth from the festival beat it away despite the snow.

"This is the big one, the main event of the winter season," Lavi explained, following her gaze. "Once this storm starts, it'll last for seven full days, so we'll be cooped up at the inn until Thanksgiving break is over. According to the local legend, this winter storm is actually the Snow King's banquet."

"Snow King?" Miranda repeated, looking at him a bit confused.

He grinned at her. "Ainsel's future master. It's another name for the Unseelie King among many. It's also the one most commonly used in all the romance stories and stuff."

"Oh." She was startled when something cool grabbed her hand to enclose her fingers around a warm object that literally defrost the chill of her skin. It was a cup of brown liquid that didn't look like coffee because the brown was lighter and richer. Then she remembered what it was, the delicacy that she never was able to share, but had served it in the houses she worked, to the people she worked for.

Hot chocolate.

Miranda turned to smile as Kanda stepped beside her, a cup of his own in his hand. "Thank you, Kanda," she said.

"It's nothing," he said, taking a sip to look busy.

"Hey, Lavi! Check this out!" Allen called out from a strand nearby, looking excited.

"Excuse me." The red head went over where his younger partner was nearly prancing around like a child.

Miranda watched him leave, feeling happy. The day had been fun, much better than she expected with the cold and the odd state of dress that she, that they were all in. They had enjoyed a lunch of turkey legs and chips (fries, she found out), Lavi caving in to buy the others lunch as Kanda's costume gave him no room to put anything and Allen wouldn't stop whining.

Afterwards, they walked throughout the festival, the two school partners pointing out various sights and booths to her while Kanda followed quietly behind. Often, they would be stopped to ask for a photo or to have a photo taken with. Mostly, though, they were female admirers who would ask for a couple sort of picture. The favorite pairing of the three was Kanda, of whom even Miranda had to admit looked dazzling in his costume. Of course, he didn't like this a bit at all and it was only because of Allen's intervention that he would do this at all.

Miranda sniffed the brew, smelling a vibrant blend of sweetness and warmth. Her brow furrowed as she blew on it, the smoke flickering as it rose from the surface.

"Just drink it already," Kanda said, sounding annoyed. He was already finished with his and he crushed the paper cup in his hand.

"Oh! Uh, yes." She blew on it again, and took the tiniest sip, in case if it was still too hot. The flavor burst on her tongue, both a sweet and bitter taste that made her cheeks fell warm. "Mmmm…" The moan left her mouth before she could stop and she was smiling ridiculously, but it was something that she could not stop it.

When she turned back, she saw the Japanese youth staring at her and could not stop her blush. "Is… is there something wrong?" she asked him.

He lifted his head a fraction. "Is this your first time?"

She was confused, but followed his gaze to the cup she still held. "Eh, yes. It is. I've never tasted chocolate before. It's how I imagined it to be, sweet with a hint of bitterness. Just like the taste of blood," she told the solemn boy with a smile.

"Blood," he repeated softly, looking far away for a moment. "That's not how some people would describe it," he mentioned.

Miranda flinched at that. "Really? I mean, I know that's strange and all but…" she sputtered, trying to find the right words but drew a blank.

Why had she said that? That was a strange comparison, for she knew that she has never tasted blood before, was sure that she hadn't. Had she? Care to think of it, she did have some holes in her memory.

Spots of blanks of her time in that house, several that made her shake in terror without knowing why. Miranda was shaking now at the cruel reality. She had a flawed memory and she had the feeling that she also had forgotten something important. Something precious to her.

Unbidden, the image of a smiling Tyki came to her mind.

"_Miranda, fez me um homem feliz."_**(5)**

"Miranda-"

"There you are, my little Fall. I've been anticipating your arrival," a dark, silken rumble of a voice whispered in her ears and a different sort of shiver went down her spine as strong arms encased her figure in a gentle but confining embrace.

She stiffened and the stranger chuckled mischievously. "You look _marvelous, delicious," _he praised. "I can't wait to _devour you."_

"E-EH?"

"Oi!"

Suddenly Miranda was dragged away by a forcible tug on her arm and held instead protectively by Kanda, who was glaring at the newcomer.

If looks could kill, Kanda would have murdered him plenty of times already to give him ten lifetimes in prison or more.

Looking at the man, Miranda gasped as a blush covered her face. "Pro-Professor Cross! What…What…?"

"It's good to see you, Miss Lotto," the red haired man said, smiling softly.

She could scarcely breathe. He looked so dangerous, so monstrous. Horns swirled out the side of his head, with his feathery red hair brushing against them. He wore a pitch black outfit that looked similar to his normal wear. Wisps of boa feathers covered his broad shoulders, giving him an elegant look that matched his smirking face, creating an exotic effect that looked entirely fey. **(6)**

He didn't wear his spectacles, revealing gray eyes a darker shade than Allen's. **(7) **They peered down at her appreciatively and Miranda had to remember to even breathe. It was a teasing look, however, obviously meant to not mean anything serious, or to show any interest of that nature, only praise. However, it was more obvious that Kanda didn't see anything more _but_ that look and from the way his arms strained against her, how his fists were curled and shaking, it was clear that he was doing his best to hold himself back and not strike the professor for his leer.

"Kanda," she breathed quietly, her hand touching his arm in an effort to calm him. She tried to give a reassuring smile and tried to sound positive and believable when she said, "It was only a compliment. There is no need for you to be angry, Kanda."

"Right," Cross agreed, crossing his arms over his chest. Miranda saw that the sleeves were cut and they fell to reveal muscular forearms with painted tattoos that were similar to the ones Lavi had, only Cross's were more intense and complicated with strange looking letters. They looked time consuming and she wondered how long did he have to wait for the paint looked old, but it had the resemblance of tattoo ink.

He, too, wore claws and they looked natural like the others, sharp as well. On the center of his forehead, nearly covered by his long red bangs, was the fairy eight pointed star in the same ink that coated his arms.

The Professor looked beautiful and deadly, she couldn't help remarking once more quietly.

"Master!"

"Ah, Allen. It's about time, my stupid pupil," Cross frowned lightly, not out of affection but more to not create wrinkles. "I've been waiting for-"

Allen grabbed hold of the collar of the man's shirt, trying to lift him up but failing due to his short size. He glared at his foster father angrily, looking ready to attempt to throw the man.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" the English boy demanded.

"Language, Allen. We have a lady present," Cross remind the boy with a droll expression, not at all minding his present situation by being manhandled by his pupil.

Gray eyes sought Miranda's and she jumped at the hysteria she saw there. She had already been shocked by Allen's cursing in a loud manner that was so out of character for the soft spoken boy.

His crazed eyes softened and Allen let go to bow deeply to her. "Forgive my outburst, Miranda. I let my anger get the best of me," he apologized sincerely.

"Ah, um, no. It's alright. I was a little shocked by it, but it didn't bother me," Miranda assured him, waving her hands. Her movements were limited, however, due to Kanda's continued hold on her. And it didn't seem like he was going to let go anytime soon.

Her face turned red, but for another reason than embarrassed awareness. She was aware of his angry heat, his strong arms encaging her to his side. She didn't fail to notice that she fitted quite nicely in the crook of his arm, the top her head barely touching his cheek.

"Hey, Yu. Do you mind? I don't think Miranda can breathe," Lavi remarked as he joined them. Though he was smiling pleasantly, there was a big threat inflicted on Cross in the shape of a plastic knife at the man's throat.

The older red head looked at it with a bored expression. "Don't you think this is a bit childish, Lavi?" he asked.

"Just a precaution," Lavi said cheerfully, a threat sugarcoated by his tone.

Cross sighed and looked at each of the boys. 'Don't tell me that you're all still mad about what happened last year? I did warn you that King's Pool was not an easy game to play, especially for green horns like the three of you."

Miranda looked up questioningly as the dark haired boy stiffened. Kanda had lost his fearsome expression and was replaced by a horrified one. She looked back to the Professor and asked quizzically, "What is King's Pool?"

Both Allen and Lavi stiffened like Kanda, while Cross gave an easy smirk.

"It's a simple game," he explained, "one that's fun if you can hold your liquor. Nothing is more amusing than to be the observer of your drunken partners' descent into insanity." He looked knowingly at each of the three boys, whom all gained a murderous air, one that made Miranda feel very nervous. "So do you want to play, Miranda? I bet you could beat these fools. How about it? Want to try?"

"NOOO!"

All three of them yelled their denial, making Cross cover his ears with an annoyed yet amused expression.

It seemed as Kanda had reached his limit for he grabbed Miranda's arm and dragged her away, despite her yelp and protest to stay.

"So Freidoll was right. He has become attached to that woman," the red haired man mused, reaching into a pocket and took out a cigarette. "Here I was hoping that it was just a silly rumor of his." He lit it up and took a deep breath, blowing the smoke out in a satisfied manner.

"Now then boys," he turned to the two with the semblance of a cruel smirk. "Can you guess why did I came here?"

(1) **For a reference to see how Lavi look, search on YouTube the doujinshi called Pumpkin Party. Watch both parts and you'll see a glimpse at what I imagined him like or similar to it.**

(2) **I will admit. I was watching Gir when I wrote this scene. I needed inspiration for a fox's personality.**

(3) **Portuguese for If you want to scream, scream! I'm only just getting started, little bitch! **

(4) **All lies, made by Allen and Lavi to make fun of Kanda in order to get him to stay and prove otherwise.**

(5) **Portuguese for you have made me a happy man**

(6) **Costume reference for Cross can be seen at http(semi-colon, double slash)shadowsoffended(dot)deviantart(dot)com(slash)art(slash)Unseelie(dash)King(dash)26675670**

(7) **Okay, I looked everywhere for his damn exact eye color and all I could see was either gray or black. But I wanted Cross to be a little different so I made them a darker gray. Anyone who can tell me the right color, PM me and I'll change it. **

**A/N: Next time will be Part 3 and the end of this little arc of mine. Important revelations and finally a kiss scene, I promise!**

**Fan art contest is still going on, guys. Even if you are discouraged by your skills, a little doodle will be just fine. **


End file.
